


Cherry Red

by onemoreword



Category: Naruto
Genre: Did I mention fluff?, F/M, Fluff, Later possessive Kakashi, Later protective Kakashi, Lots and lots of hand-holding, Lots of Cuddling, Lots of kissing, New Relationship, Slow Burn-ish, Some more fluff!, and some more fluff!!, lots of hugs, patient Sakura
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-18
Updated: 2020-03-28
Packaged: 2020-10-20 23:15:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 30
Words: 35,750
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20683559
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/onemoreword/pseuds/onemoreword
Summary: A drabble-ish series where Sakura can't stop blushing around Kakashi, so she starts to avoid him. This actually bothers him. A lot.The wonderful consequence of being nosy and for being brave enough to try.A Kakashi x Sakura fluff piece.





	1. Chapter 1

"Ah, Shizune," Kakashi lifted a brow when he saw the dark haired lady entering the Hokage's office. He held onto his side, which was bruised from his spar earlier with Yamato. "While it's flattering that the head medic herself is coming to check in on me, I remember summoning Sakura-chan."

Shizune rolled her eyes. "You're the Hokage, Kakashi-sama. It should be a fact that the best should attend to your needs."

"Not to take away from your or Sakura-chan's abilities, but I think Sakura-chan would have been sufficient for a small injury like this." He said light heartedly before inquiring mildly. "Is she okay?"

Shizune hummed in response, leaning down with her glowing hands reaching for Kakashi's side. "Just busy with a project."

"Too busy to attend to the Hokage himself?"

She snorted. "The head medic isn't enough for you?"

Kakashi simply chuckled sheepishly. "You know that's not what I meant."

The room fell into silence other than the soft hum of Shizune's chakra healing him. He could feel the ache slowly fading away and noted how her chakra trailed deeper into his system for a simple diagnostic. Like most medic's, Shizune tried to be gentle, but Kakashi had to admit that he'd been spoiled by Sakura's more delicate touch, her perfect chakra control making it so that her diagnostics were always the least intrusive out of all the medics. It was why the older generation or the more paranoid shinobis seemed to prefer her healing sessions, old bones and habits making it so that another's chakra felt too invasive and foreign.

"There," she finished after another minute or so. "You're good to go, Kakashi-sama."

"Thank you." He stretched his side and was pleased that it didn't feel stiff at all.

"As for Sakura-chan, if you're that worried about her, you should go and find her, not create childish issues like this where she's forced to come and see you." She gave him an unimpressed look, eliciting another sheepish smile.

"Ah, but you see-."

"Really, Kakashi. Your tactics may have changed a bit when it comes to Sakura, but you haven't changed at all."

He looked at her. "What do you mean?"

"Which part?" She inquired mischievously, having known Kakashi long enough and having been in a relationship with Genma for a good long time to know how these type of men worked... though Kakashi was always on a different level.

As expected, he didn't say anything, didn't give anything away.

"Regardless," she continued, knowing waiting for him to respond was a hopeless cause, "I thought you knew what happened for her to avoid you like this. She looked really flustered when she asked me to cover for her when you summoned her."

He hid his puzzlement over her words. Flustered? 

"Whatever you did, you should try and make up with her. It's odd not seeing you two together."

Normally, he would have baldly remarked about how maybe Sakura was the one who might've done something wrong, but he was more focused in on her last comment. Were they seen that frequently together?

"Have a nice day, Kakashi-sama." Shizune said with a respectful bow.

Kakashi gave her an absent-minded wave of acknowledgement.

It had been a week since he'd last seen Sakura. Each time he tried to 'accidentally' end up in the same area as her, she'd be aware of his antics and escape before he could approach her. It'd actually surprised him, how there was someone who knew him so well enough to predict his actions. Not even Gai was as intuned with his habits.

Not to mention that odd unsettling feeling in his stomach on the first day when Sakura was decidedly avoiding him. He'd try to play it off as her being busy at the hospital, but since the end of the war, he couldn't remember a single day she didn't make time for him, even if it was just pocketful of times... and he couldn't remember a single moment he couldn't spare for her either, regardless of his unwanted position as Hokage.

He was brought out of his thoughts with the knock on his door.

"Hokage-sama."

Ah, but back to work.

* * *

Sakura made an unhappy sigh after bidding goodbye to the other nurses at the hospital. She knew she was acting ridiculous, but she couldn't help it. There was no way Kakashi... Kakashi-sensei didn't know something was up for sure now. The summons, she knew, had been intentional since she'd been avoiding him for a week, but her flat out flimsy excuse not to go was causing red flags everywhere.

But she knew she couldn't go. She just couldn't!

She didn't know how her heart would take it if she had to call him Kakashi- _ sensei _ to his face, especially after what happened. This man has known her since she was friggin twelve! There was no way he would have any feelings towards her besides a captain and subordinate or maybe even just brotherly feelings at best!

She was the one who was in the wrong about this.

Sakura glared miserably at the ground, grateful that it was late at night and the darkness would hide her features. No one needed to see just how red on the face she was.

This blush. Gods, this blush. If it wasn't for this, she'd at least be able to see him, but there was no way she could face him when she was like this. It'd just make everything too obvious. When she was working and keeping herself distracted, the color would fade, but the moment she was given even the smallest reminder about him, the redness would return.

And so, until she could learn to control herself, it had to be this way. She didn't want to ruin anything else that was good in her life.

"Sakura-chan."

Shit!

Her shoulders stiffened at the familiar deep voice and felt her heart skip a beat.

No... not right now... she wasn't ready!

She heard his footsteps and knew he was intentionally making sounds not to startle her. Someone of Kakashi's level rarely made a sound unless he wanted to be heard.

Her hands were clasped tightly in front of her chest as she tried to figure out what to do. Run? No, she had no veil of an excuse to explain her behavior a-and she worried what was going through his mind right now. She'd avoided him for so long already and the last thing she wanted him to think was that she hated him.

"...Sakura-chan," the tone was soft and consoling, as though to not frighten her away.

"I-I think I needed to meet I-Ino today! Or the hospital! Yeah, I have to go to the hospital! Bye Kakashi... um... sensei." It didn't matter that it was late into the night and how she had literally just left the hospital and was on her way home. She had to get out of here. She had to-.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and turned her around, gripping her arm firmly so that she wouldn't be able to run.

Shit!

Sakura couldn't find it in her to close her eyes, too startled by the sudden action.

Kakashi stared in surprise at how flustered her face was, her normally pink cheeks a now deeper flush of pink and red. Her eyes were glowing under the dim light, damp due to her embarrassed state. And then when she realized she was staring straight into his eyes, she hastily pulled her arm away.

"I-I'm sorry! I have to go!"

And then she vanished, leaping up onto the rooftops to make her escape.

Kakashi continued to stare at where she had stood. Silent with his hand still raised from where he had held her arm. He stood there for several moments longer before he finally turned around to go to his own quarters. 

His expression was unreadable, deciding to take a much darker route through the alleys of the village. From behind, the shadows of his Anbu guard shifted and followed him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to try writing dark Kakashi or some smut with Kakashi x Sakura, but it never worked out... so I thought, perhaps I need to write something nice again first, like I did with Madara x Sakura (Arranged Marriage). And so, this is the creation.
> 
> Hopefully once I get this out of my system, I can write the other stuff, haha. 
> 
> Apologies if this is written wonky or is too telling than showing. I actually had no intention of posting this and so, wasn't too focused on making it sound nice with the flow. This was mostly to get the fluff out of my system. It's why I decided to label it as a more drabble-like series. They're connected to one another though. Originally, that wasn't the intention, but the story demanded that it was and we writers are often just vehicles for the stories, after all.
> 
> Might be updated weekly or every other week. Not sure yet. Depending on the receptions/reviews, might update faster. :)
> 
> 06/11/2020: Russian version by Tanya, if anyone's interested~ https://ficbook.net/readfic/9516532


	2. Chapter 2

Stupid, stupid, stupid!!

Sakura glowered at her desk the next day, doing her best not to bang against it. There were people in her office right now, after all, and the last thing she wanted to do was look crazy. Why did she have to do that? Gods, she didn't hurt his feelings, did she? No, this was Kakashi she was dealing with. He was always considerate towards her feelings and would never assume anything. It had been like this since he was her sensei as a child.

At that, she rubbed the bridge of her nose. Which was why this would never work.

He most likely still saw her as a child. Nothing more and nothing less. She was also only twenty. An adult in the numerical sense, but compared to him who had experienced and endured so much... how could she even consider-?

Sakura gave up and made a sound of irritation from her throat. There was no one she could talk to about this, no one to help clear her thoughts. Naruto was out on a mission and would probably be no help for this anyways, Sai was still a mess when it came to emotions, contacting Sasuke-kun was just a flat out no, and Ino would be no help in this regard. If anything, the sassy blonde would have way too much fun with this.

She just had to bottle it in, to hide it all and hope it would all just... fade away.

* * *

"Hokage-sama?" Kakashi was brought out of his thoughts for the fifth time that day and saw the look of exasperation and concern on Shikamaru's face.

"Mah, mah, sorry about that."

"It's fine, but you must have a lot more on your mind than usual. Normally when you have that look on your face, you're still partially listening. But I said the same thing three times and you didn't even blink." Shikamaru then paused. "Does this have anything to do with how you let yourself get hit during the spar yesterday?"

Kakashi chuckled goodnaturedly. "Was I that obvious?"

"And I don't suppose this has any connections to how I haven't seen Sakura popping into the office for the past few days?" Shikamaru's fingers twitched, itching for a cigarette. Kakashi was so much easier to work with than the rest of the rookie 9, but leave it to Sakura to complicate things. So troublesome. "You should go talk to her. Figure things out so everything can return to normal already.”

“Are these words from my advisor?”

“And as a concerned friend.” Shikamaru smoothly concluded. “Now, it’s getting late and since you’re too distracted to do actual work, I’m going to take that as my dismissal for the day.”

Kakashi merely smiled and didn’t argue as he leaned back against his seat while Shikamaru made his way out. The smile faded, though, once the door closed behind the spiky haired man. He knew Shikamaru was right. He was way too distracted right now, which was dangerous and downright deadly for a man wearing the hat, regardless of whether it was of a time of peace or not.

Sakura was a distraction.

He crossed his arms over his chest and closed his eyes, trying to think on what to do. But all his mind would helpfully do would be to remind him of last night, the way she looked up at him and the glow about her.

He wasn’t an idiot. That look on her face wasn’t due to mere embarrassment because she’d done something wrong and he was not so naive as to not understand what it means when a... woman looked at a man like that with that type of expression.

Kakashi felt his shoulders grow heavier at the thought. Yes... she was a woman. He’d taken notice of that in the midst of the war of her growth. Sakura had grown up to be an admirable woman, smart and strong with the determination and courage that not many could carry. The definition of a model kunoichi, no, shinobi, of Konoha.

He’d also seen the way others looked at her, especially after Ino had immediately exposed to the gossip mill that there was no hell of a chance that Uchiha Sasuke and Haruno Sakura were ever going to become an item. It was a silent, private matter no one knew the details of, but Ino had grown tired of Sakura’s single status and had at least made sure that every available bachelor knew just how available Sakura was. But she’d never taken any of the offers that’d gone her way.

Why? Kakashi had never considered. It was her own life, after all, though he did feel privately proud whenever she rejected another eager suitor. None of them seem suitable for her lifestyle and they never seemed good enough to match her wit and temperament. She was making the right decision by turning them away.

And...

Kakashi sighed.

And he knew he’d be uncomfortable knowing that his regular visits from the pink haired medic would be disrupted because of the time she’d be spending with a potential significant other.

How long, he contemplated silently. How long had this been developing? What happened for her to be able to get under his skin like this? He wasn’t oblivious to how he’d intentionally been more gentle with her compared to the rest of Team Seven, but that was mostly because he didn’t know how to handle her. The boys were much easier to understand, their ambitions even more so. However, she’d been a naive little girl playing kunoichi.

He’d tried to treat her like a soldier, albeit one growing up in times of peace. But he could never push her the way he did with the boys. Even in their simple missions dealing with bandits, he’d always find himself straying towards where she was to knock away a regular bandit she could have easily handle even before she obtained Tsunade’s infamous strength.

At first, he’d wondered if it was because she reminded him of Rin, but that was never the case. Rin was motherly and sweet. Sakura, although sweet in her own ways, was more fire and strength. It was why he’d given her a glowing review to Tsunade as a potential apprentice, because he knew there was nothing he could offer her that would make her grow, to be tempered into the fine blade she could become with the right teacher. He’d only hold her back in that regard.

And then during the war...

Kakashi opened his eyes, his dark gaze staring straight at his hands. He could still feel the wetness of her drying tears on her cheek, the way her hair curled around his fingers as he’d brushed it away from her face. The echoes of her desperation as she just wanted her boys to stop fighting already.

Then the sweet blush on her face the day Sasuke first left on his journey of redemption.

His chest tightened at the memory of last night, the glowing look on her face that he’d never seen before, not even to Sasuke, and it’d been aimed at him.

Was this something he could ignore?

He glanced out the window and saw that evening had fallen upon the village, the sun having set and encasing the area with darkness.

Without another word, he left the office.


	3. Chapter 3

Sakura pressed herself against the wall of the entryway inside her apartment. The moment she’d heard the knock on the door and had gone to open it, it had been pushed open and Kakashi had silently, but forcibly entered inside, closing the door shut behind him. Before she could even say a word, he’d had her cornered, an unreadable look on his normally smiling eyes. His arms kept her against the wall, his hands plastered besides her head to keep her caged in.

It didn’t escape her how close he was to her, the heat of his body brushing against her own while his very presence seemed to cause her heart to thunder within her chest. Her first instinct had been to push him away, but the very thought of touching him merely made her push her hands behind her instead. Unable to handle the intensity of his dark eyes, she clenched her eyes shut and turned her face away.

Oh gods, he knew! Of course he knew! He wasn’t an idiot! This was Kakashi! He knew everything! Shit! She’d ruined everything. He-.

“Sakura,” he broke through the panicked chain of thoughts.

“Y-Yes?”

“Why?”

His voice was so quiet that it made Sakura tilt her head up towards him, opening her eyes in confusion. His charcoal gaze was always so indecipherable, but there were always slight tugs on her instincts that seemed to point out to her just what was going through this man’s head. Now that she was looking right at them, she found it impossible to look away.

“...why not?” the words left her before she could consider the severity of them.

There was silence before Kakashi lowered his gaze. “...you don’t know what you’re asking for.”

In the past, she would have snapped at him, saying he didn’t know what he was talking about. Old insecurities and feelings of inferiority would have immediately caused her to snap up her guard, to protect her vulnerable feelings and shaky self-confidence. But with Kakashi, for some reason as they remained face to face like this, all those seemed to become trapped in her throat.

Maybe it was due to the mere fact that he was confronting her instead of running away, as he was normally apt to do. He was never one for deeper bonds beyond camaraderie and friendship. The fact that he was trying to talk to her instead was breaking the normal routines of his habit. This was different. This was more.

Her hand slipped out from behind her to reach up and press against Kakashi’s cheek. Her breath was caught by how he didn’t pull away, letting her brush her thumb against his skin above his customary mask.

“Kakashi,” she whispered. “Why are you here?”

He noted the lack of the usual suffix next to his name and of how natural it felt for her to simply call him by his name. Even for him, it had felt odd to add the fond suffix next to her name, especially in the midst of this confrontation.

Her question was valid. Why was he here? She didn’t know he had become aware. Sure, she probably had theories. But Sakura had never outright talked to him about any of this. If anything, he was the one who was dragging it to the surface, turning it into an issue instead of letting it sink into the dark abyss of maybes and other possibilities.

He could have just let it die, to allow the usual flow of life to continue once she got over whatever was causing her to become flustered around him.

Kakashi closed his eyes and leaned forward to press his head into the crook of her neck. She stiffened in surprise, but didn’t move, her hand that had been on his cheek now clenched into a fist over her chest.

But unlike the many instances in his past where such similar potential confrontations could have occured, this one... this one he just couldn’t ignore. He didn't have it in him to endure what would follow if he ignored this possibility. 

“You don’t know what you’re asking for,” he repeated.

There was a pause before she responded, her voice sounding stronger than before. “I know exactly what I want.”

“You don’t know what all that entails.”

“You’re right,” her easy acceptance of this surprised him at first, but he shouldn’t have been. She’d been through enough to know better than to think she knew everything. “I don’t know... but I want to.”

“Sakura-.”

Before he could pull away from her, Sakura summoned all her courage to reach out and wrap her arms around his torso. If he was allowed to press against her like this, it was only fair for her to take advantage as well. Her arm wrapped itself around him while the other trailed up to hold onto the back of his neck, keeping his face pressed against her.

“Nothing needs to change,” she reassured him softly, tilting her head against him to give him further reassurance. “It’s just you and me as always.”

“But you want more.”

“Yes,” she admitted honestly again. “But not now... because like you said, I don’t know you. I know about the burdens you carry, but I don’t know anything about it or about you. I’ve seen and heard of the things you’ve endured, but you never talk about it yourself. So yes, you’re right, I don’t know what it means to start... start a relationship with you... but that doesn’t change the fact that I want you.”

She felt his hand trailing down the wall to rest against her waist. His hand was much larger and felt heavy on her waist, but the mere fact that he wasn’t pulling away warmed her.

“...so let me get to know you.”

And against the wall, they remained. Her eyes fluttered closed as she focused on the feel of his soft breath, his thumb rubbing small circles on her hip.

He wasn’t pulling away.

He wasn’t telling her to give up.

The fact that he wasn’t saying anything at all said volumes and for Sakura, who lived a lifetime's worth of radio silence from her loved ones, that was enough.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where everything is the same, but nothing will ever be the same again.

For the next few weeks, Sakura lived up to her words. Nothing had changed. He'd still regularly see her for spars or she'd pop into his office from time to time for lunch, carrying a container filled with the saury he liked from the nearby hole in the wall.

They'd have late nights together, buried under their own stack of paperwork. Her's from the medical department while his was from the Hokage's office. They'd drink tea and make soft jabs at each other.

What made it even better was that no one really knew about their confrontation at her apartment. People knew about the little tizzle they had, but all was forgotten when Sakura and Kakashi were seen frequently together again and life resumed as business as usual. Any possible gossip that lingered died down immediately, the assumption being that they had a minor argument that was finally settled.

Nothing had changed, just like he'd wanted, and everything was back to normal.

And yet...

Kakashi stared at Sakura from where she was scribbling furiously over the paperwork. They were working within the Hokage manor this time since she'd groaned about being in surgery all day and needing a hot shower. The manor was much closer than her apartment, after all.

He could smell his body wash all over her skin and could feel the warmth of her body from the hot shower due to how closely they were sitting together on the low table on the floor. Her hair was still damp from the shower and he noted how some of the strands would curl inward into her neck. His fingers twitched with the urge to reach out and smooth it out.

A part of him wondered how appropriate it would be. Another wondered if she'd be offended by his touch. And another...

"You're thinking really hard over there." She remarked without looking up from her work.

"Well, Hokage and all that," he said nonchalantly and smiled when she snorted at him. Giving into the impulse, Kakashi reached over and tucked a lock of her damp hair behind her ear.

He held his breath as Sakura stilled and smiled softly at the red blush that bloomed over her face. It was quite cute, actually. What was more endearing was how she ducked her head even more and stared sternly at her paperwork, when it was obvious how distracted she actually was.

Deciding that perhaps his impulses towards her actually weren't all that grave, Kakashi then reached out to grasp her hand firmly on the table. He watched in amusement at how the paper in her hand crinkled up under her fingers.

This time, Sakura scowled at him through the redness of her face. "You're cheating."

"How so?"

"Because you... you..." rendered speechless, Sakura glared at her wrinkled paper instead.

Her hand under his palm then slowly wiggled around until he gave her just enough room to turn her hand around, allowing her fingers to knit together with his. Kakashi's eyes became drawn to their joined hands, noticing how delicate and small her hands were compared to his.

And how even though her face was a burning shade of red and her embarrassment was obvious, it didn't look like Sakura planned on letting go anytime soon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was blown away by all the kudos, but especially all the nice reviews that people took the time to leave for me, so here's chapter four! I did promise a lot of hand-holding... so here's the first of many. :) Hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> If all goes well, the next update will be mid-next week... possibly two chapters... I'm trying to update in a way so that it doesn't ruin the flow and momentum of the story, so some chapters will be short and some chapters will be long. :) Please be patient with these two. 
> 
> The beginning of this series is more like a drabble-style, where sometimes each chapters are interconnected with the next and sometimes not. Also, just so you guys are aware, in this series, we are basically getting a glimpse of Kakashi and Sakura's life together and their budding relationship. Sometimes the chapters can be the next day or so, but not always. Sometimes there are days/weeks in between.
> 
> No need to think too deeply into it. Just sit back and enjoy the ride~


	5. Chapter 5

Kakashi easily allowed the couch to support his weight as he dove into the wonderful world of Icha Icha that Jiraiya-sama had created. Truly a marvel, a masterpiece. May that masterful man's mind rest in peace.

It was one of those rare moments where he had time to himself. No Hokage duties or squad captain related concerns for him to worry about. 

He noted the door opening and gave a two fingered wave of acknowledgement at Sakura who didn't even blink an eye at the sight of Kakashi holed away in her apartment's living room. It was the most well-kept open secret that Kakashi ran away to her apartment for whenever he wanted to hide. He giggled at a particularly amusing part and gave a murmur of thanks when Sakura placed a freshly brewed cup of tea on the table in front of him.

The couch sagged beside him and he knew Sakura was indulging in one of those ridiculously large medical scrolls. He'd tease her from time to time about her choice of literature, until she'd dryly inquire if Kakashi wanted to trade with hers. Nay, he was quite happy with his worn out orange book.

Another page was turned and he smiled in delight at the familiar scene. Despite having read the same set of books for years, he'd never grow tired of them. He didn't care what other people said! The progress of the love, courage, and adventure of Junko and her flavor of the chapter were always so heartfelt and wonderful and-.

Kakashi stilled as he felt a soft, warm weight pressed against his side. Entire frame frozen, he tilted his head and moved his eyes to see the crown of pink resting against his arm. The large unraveled scroll was seconds away from dropping to the floor and lightning fast reflexes allowed Kakashi to catch it before it could loudly hit the ground.

But then came the conundrum of how the movement had shifted him closer to the slumbering kunoichi. 

This was not the first time either of them had fallen asleep on top of the other, figuratively and literally. He'd been awkward about it at first, but found it to be absurd to push her away when she was leaning on him for support because she was tired. Sakura was his subordinate, albeit closer than a normal subordinate due to their history together, so pushing her off because he was uncomfortable with close touches sounded idiotic even in his own head. Kakashi pointedly ignored how, technically, he'd never allowed another, subordinate or otherwise, to actually use him as their bed rest, even in their sleep. He'd simply nudge them away to their beds or the nearest tree. Even the floor.

But with Sakura, it had always felt more natural to leave her where she was. And he had never been one to shy from his instincts. However, this was the first time since whatever this was between them had started.

Kakashi remained still, book forgotten in his hand as his mind seemed solely focused on the warmth nestled beside him. His acute senses picked up the sound of her even breathing, her normal pleasant and natural scent mingled in with the harsh chemicals and antiseptic from the hospital.

Hesitantly, he moved his arm and allowed her to snuggle closer, Sakura's cheek now pressed against his torso. Again, this was not the first time for them to be in this position. This had happened many times in the past.

And yet, his fingers had never drawn meandering lines on her arm before. He'd never had the luxury of freely running his hand through her hair, his forefinger toying with the pink locks absentmindedly. Never more aware of just how comforting it was to feel her weight against him with her face snuggled into his side. 

His nose resumed being buried into his book, but he found himself only partially immersed this time. The other part contemplating if next time, she wouldn't mind assuming this position again even while awake.


	6. Chapter 6

Dating Kakashi, Sakura decided, was definitely something new. Granted, she herself had only a handful of dates under her belt, but she wondered if it was normal to feel so nonchalant and yet so shaken when dating someone.

Could this even be called dating? The word just didn't seem right when she tried to define her relationship with him.

It felt comfortable to be around Kakashi and it helped that he never pushed her away or looked uncomfortable whenever she tentatively curled up beside him. It helped that they'd been in such close proximity before, having gone on various missions together that required close huddling together for warmth or hiding from their enemies. But this was different.

They'd agreed to try for more.

But what did more entail?

The apprehension had been there when he'd told her she didn't know what that meant and she'd been sincere when she said she still wanted to try. But weeks into this, she'd yet to see hair or hide of whatever mysteries and burdens he shouldered.

Actually, even more important, she'd yet to see what he hid under his mask.

They'd didn't go out together beyond their usual lunches and dinners. Their topics never strayed from the usual jokes and snarky remarks about each other. No cheesy, romantic proposals or anything she saw other people  _ dating _ would do.

Could they even be considered to be trying for more?

Sometimes Sakura wasn't sure...

But when she felt Kakashi's arm around her tighten after they'd gone through another marathon of paperwork before deciding on a well deserved break, pulling her closer to his side while his nose was buried in his book, clearly awake and not sleeping... something he'd never done before... she found herself unable to care to think about it some more.

Because this was the pace he'd set and she was willing to follow him anywhere. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If I have time, I'll try to update again this week. Or early next week. :) Sorry for the short chapters~


	7. Chapter 7

Kakashi sauntered into the Hokage manor and paused when he smelled food being cooked. He wandered over to the kitchen and found the familiar rosette walking back and forth between the stove and the cutting board, her hair messily pinned up with curls trailing down the back of her neck.

He stared, processing what he was seeing. This wasn't the first time she made dinner for them, be it at her apartment or his home. They even took turns sometimes, especially after she griped about how she was getting sick of takeout food and he needed to take better care of himself.

Another everyday circumstance, no different from what he often saw.

Sakura turned around and almost shrieked, glowering angrily at him with the knife in her hand. "Kakashi! How long have you been standing there like that?!"

He merely smiled at her. "You're a shinobi, Sakura. You should have sensed me long before I got this close."

"Well excuse me for feeling safe in your home," she huffed, turning her attention back to the chopped vegetables. From behind, she heard the sound of the chair being dragged and knew he was taking a seat. "Long day?"

"When is it not?"

"Tell me about it?"

It was always a question, always a choice that she gave him. Perhaps it was because she was used to dealing with emotionally defunct men, if the company she kept was anything to go by, but Sakura was adept in adjusting to the oddities of the shinobi she regularly interacted with... and he appreciated how she never pushed him to do anything. Maybe bully him if it was for his own welfare, but she'd always take a step back before it got too far. Just express her concern and fall back if the moment wasn't right.

And so, he spoke. Talked about the elders hassling him, some of the petty grievances from both civilians and shinobis alike, the daimyo occasionally messaging him with random complaints, the daimyo's advisers messaging him with random complaints, and so on. It helped that Sakura could empathize, having her own share of whiners she dealt with everyday.

By the time he was done speaking, dinner was done and a huge vase filled with flowers separated the two from each other. Kakashi never offered to pull down his mask for her and she never inquired about it either. In the past, she would have with childish glee, but it felt so wrong to do that, especially with the new development between them.

Instead, the topic meandered to Sakura's work at the hospital, the talks of bringing up new trainees for the future, how it's being discussed that maybe there should be a program to encourage more med-nins in the ranks, and what silly shenanigans that genin, chunin, and even jounin were up to. It made Kakashi want to groan at the extra amount of paperwork amassed because some set of idiots thought it'd be fun to see who had the bigger fire jutsu only to almost set a good portion of the forest on fire along with themselves.

"Jounin are supposed to be above such stupidity..."

"Hey, you have no say. I've heard about your fair share of stupid adventures."

He looked at her in surprise. "From who?"

"Gai-sensei, Shizune, and Genma, to name a few."

Kakashi sighed, knowing this was likely why Sakura's respect for him was degenerating every day. Gai probably told all their dumb escapades with pride while Genma probably told the more raunchier stories. Shizune was also privy to some stories because of how she had had to heal him and the others in the past after their misadventures.

It was a wonder why Sakura still wanted him after all that...

Kakashi peered over the flowers and saw the happy smile on Sakura's face as she ate, causing him to duck back down to his side of the table.

The table was small enough that regardless of the ridiculously giant vase between them, he could still be close to her.

He hesitated, waiting a few breaths more before his hand began to stray to the other side, casually placing his hand on top of hers.

Kakashi heard the sound of chopsticks clattering as they fell onto her plate.

Peering over at her again, he saw her stunned, flustered face, how she blinked several times in confusion while her eyes flitted toward their joined hands to see if what she was feeling was real or her imagination. And then how she peeked up at him as well, only to quickly look back down when she met his eyes, her face flushed even more.

It made him squeeze her hand.

And smile when she turned her hand to better hold his own and squeeze his hand back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More hand holding!


	8. Chapter 8

Sakura had promised nothing would change, so Kakashi was unsurprised to see her already awake and placing a cup of tea for him before he headed out for his usual morning ritual at the memorial stone. She didn't offer to join him, didn't offer to be his strength and support. Instead, she brewed him his usual morning cup of tea.

This was no different from the many times she'd stayed overnight, slaving over paperwork with him. Sometimes Shikamaru would join, being one of the main assistants and advisors to the Hokage. However, unlike Sakura, Shikamaru had his family, the Nara Clan, to be with, so was rarely sleeping over like Sakura, who'd found it best to separate her civilian parents from her shinobi life.

It was better this way, both for herself and her parents. War hero or not, there were just some parts of her life they would never understand and she didn't want them to anyways.

Kakashi stared at the steaming cup, knowing it was made with his usual roasted green tea. She knew he didn’t like the higher caffeine content of black and regular green tea and knew he was completely uninterested in coffee.

Sakura, on the other hand, was a caffeine fiend. She lived and breathed off of coffee, taking it multiple times a day. When he’d once mildly voiced his concerns that she was probably addicted to it by now, she’d very maturely stuck her tongue out at him.

She knew about his favorite foods and snacks as well, always making sure there was eggplant in his miso soup when buying his favorite saury from the shop. Granted, it was like that for all the others she cared for. Even though she’d constantly tell Naruto to lay off the ramen, she’d sometimes bring some to him on the very, very rare occasion he’d get sick from the flu (darn Kyuubi healing powers).

Though strong headed and temperamental, Sakura’s obvious kindness and consideration towards her loved one was what made Kakashi believe that Sasuke was a very, very lucky man. He’d never go a day without feeling loved.

Kakashi stared at the bouquet of flowers beside his tea.

Ah... today was Rin’s birthday...

He didn’t remember telling Sakura about that.

Kakashi looked up when he heard the soft humming coming from his kitchen and quietly sauntered towards her, just in case today was the rare occasion when she was more alert and would become aware of his presence.

She was again walking to and fro within the middle of his kitchen floor, her hair messily pinned up into a bun again. His eyes strayed towards the messy strands at the back of the neck and still felt the same temptation he’d felt before the last time he’d seen her like this, the urge to run his fingers over her nape, to hear her gasp in surprise.

“Sakura.”

She jumped, as expected, but didn’t seem angry this time. Instead, she looked at him in bemusement. “Kakashi? I thought you’d have gone out by now.”

“The flowers.”

“Oh, I figured Rin-san would have liked something like that from you on her birthday.” she gave him a small smile. "She must have been an amazing person to be able to catch both yours and Obito-san’s hearts.”

“Thank you...” Kakashi murmured with a smile of his own, watching the redness flush all over her face in fascination. “You’re wrong about one thing though.”

“Hm?”

“Rin has a good place in my heart, but,” he paused, watching her carefully, “I wouldn't really say that there was a person who's caught it before.”

Sakura looked at him confused.

“Join me this morning?” he gestured towards where the flowers were. “I’m sure Rin would appreciate getting the flowers from you instead.”

“Eh? A-Are you sure?” she looked even more startled. Kakashi may have found some inner-peace after the war, but that didn’t mean the regrets simply vanished. She knew he’d still go the memorial stone every morning, sometimes in a more jovial manner as he’d tell Obito and Rin about the stupid incidents he had to deal with but sometimes also in sadness when the day felt too heavy and the weight was too much. He was also very particular about being alone during it, even though he never mentioned anything about it, hiding his discomfort well whenever someone would accidentally interrupt him. 

“Yes,” Kakashi said without hesitation, closing his eyes for a moment. Obito definitely approved of Sakura, had been taken in by her determination and love for her comrades. Kakashi knew him well enough to know this. Rin would have also approved as well, would have been delighted to know that there was someone in Kakashi’s life like this...

“A-Alright, give me a moment!” Sakura said as she ran down the hallway to where she kept some of her clothes.

“Mah, Sakura, you don’t have to cha-.”

“No way!” she yelled from afar. “At least the first time, I want to look halfway decent!”

She returned back in record time, having changed from her sleepwear to a simple red one piece dress she’d wear to work from time to time. Sakura reached over to pull the flowers out of the vase, slipping it into the plastic bag beside it so that the water wouldn’t drip everywhere. “Okay, let’s go.”

She halted when Kakashi held out a hand for her, staring at it dumbly.

It was too early for there to be many people walking around the village. Kakashi enjoyed his privacy, even more so after becoming Hokage, so he’d wake up at a ridiculous hour to not be disturbed while he was at the memorial stone.

It was highly unlikely that anyone would see them, but...

Sakura looked up and could see the softness in his eyes, one that made her heart clench and skip a beat as well.

With redness staining her cheeks, she shyly reached back to hold his hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And even more hand holding!


	9. Chapter 9

Sakura scowled at Kakashi’s ridiculously speed. You’d think all his time spent hunched over at his desk would mean that his skills would somewhat deteriorate, but noooo, he was the effin Hokage and Hatake Kakashi, so logical rules didn’t apply to him.

She spread her senses, trying to locate him within the dense forest of training ground 10. Sakura knew he wouldn't hide underground, at least not with her. Her inhuman strength meant being underground was a dangerous position to be, especially since she was now skilled enough to manipulate her strength into making sure the crushed earth could trap him in between the rubble.

She yelped when, abruptly, a leg swiped at her ankles and made her drop backwards onto her butt. Indignation filled her at being caught so unaware. When did he-?!

Hands gripped her wrists and forced her onto the ground hard, drawing a grunt from her, a heavy body straddling her on top of her legs, using his heavier weight to take advantage and to prevent any movement. It was a standard hold, but it was enough to make the rage evaporate from within her.

Instead, her face turned ridiculously red as she realized that Kakashi's face was looming over hers... again.

Kakashi tilted his head, watching in fascination at the redness that appeared on Sakura's flushed cheeks, the way it trailed down her skin and made its way down her neck. He hadn't meant to do this to her constantly, but apparently his subconscious was stronger than he'd expected. For the past three spars today, he'd find different ways to pin her or make her yield, making sure to be particularly close to her to get a better look at how flustered she got around him.

It was a novel experience. He had plenty of moments in the past when he'd make both shinobis and kunoichis alike tongue tied and red whenever he'd pin them or beat their ass into submission, but none of them felt as pleasant as watching the blush on Sakura's face or how her eyes would flash with anger. It made him smile and, of course, it made Sakura's eye twitch in irritation. 

"Again," she snarled, wanting another round.

"I think I'm good for today," he said with a smile, whipping out his book to show that she was going to be fighting an uphill battle to change his mind.

"Jerk," she crossed her arms petulantly, knowing she was being childish but too annoyed by his behavior to care. The imbalance in power here wasn't fair! Why was it always her that got weak in the knees while the men she was interested in all but sauntered around in her life so elegantly?

Sakura glanced at where Kakashi had settled down by the trunk of a nearby tree, reading his book nonchalantly. She smugly noted the sheen of sweat on his face and how while he may have won the bouts, it certainly hadn't been an easy one.

Deciding to be satisfied with that, she settled down next to him and closed her eyes as a gentle breeze blew down. Once her body cooled down from the spar, she had to get back to the hospital. It was going to be a rare night off for Shizune and Sakura had offered to cover, which was why Sakura had had the chance to spar with Kakashi today.

She wouldn't be seeing him tonight.

It made her want to frown at how that made her heart clench. While her current relationship with Kakashi was new, the way her heart skipped a beat around him wasn't. This was bad. She could not be falling so hard for someone like this so quickly.

Again, unfair.

It seemed ridiculous how she seemed to give her heart away so easily. Everyone seemed to cool and comfortable, always having the proverbial upper hand. Meanwhile, she was always bending backwards to please the ones she adored, always being the only one to miss them and think about them always.

...which, fine, was also her fault because she wanted to.

But it wouldn't hurt if, for once, someone wanted her just as much as she wanted them.

Sakura abruptly opened her eyes and was about to blow up her bangs in irritation when she briefly met Kakashi's eyes and realized he'd been staring at her. She froze, wondering if she'd imagined it since Kakashi was currently looking at the pages of his book.

No, no, she was not that insane yet. Kakashi had been clearly looking at her.

She glanced away horrified. But why? Was there something on her face? Maybe a smudge of dirt from when he'd rubbed it against the ground earlier, a fact that made her scowl again. Or maybe he was wondering what he was doing here with her, giving her a chance like this, when he had so many fans and admirers and-.

Sakura angrily and forcefully shoved those thoughts to the abyss. First off, Kakashi was not that type of man. He was not shallow. He was very kind and sweet, when he wanted to be, and he would never do anything to hurt her.

Still, she looked startled again when she saw the strange subtle glance again.

A part of her desperately wanted to ask. She'd always been a brash, straightforward woman. But Kakashi required some delicacy, especially in regards to matters like this. The last thing she wanted to do was scare him away...

Her hand slowly moved to the direction of where his was on the ground, her pinky reaching out to curl around his. She knew her face was stupidly red again and hated how needy she was... but still, she couldn't stop her equally stupidly big smile when she felt him fully hold her hand instead. 

From behind his book, Kakashi was glad that Sakura was smiling cheerily while looking the other way, a light dusting of pink visible from the top of his mask.

The smile on her face was beautiful.


	10. Chapter 10

Sakura blinked at the sight of Kakashi's face above hers as she woke up that morning inside her apartment lying down on her couch. She felt his arm wrapped around her shoulders, his other hand placed on the small of her back, as he kept her pressed against him. Her cheek was pressed firmly against his thin shirt covering his chest and she could clearly hear the strong, steady beat of his heart.

Kakashi was not a cuddler.

Every time she accidentally fell asleep on him, as his student and then later as his subordinate, she'd always wake up either in her bedroll or with him still immersed in his book, his hands to himself, while she used him as a pillow. Even on the rare occasion when he slept, he'd never touch her. Never even really bat an eye whenever she'd apologize for falling asleep on him like this.

Even now, with whatever this new development was between them, at most, he'd have her tucked by his side, but nothing further than that.

The only time she'd feel his hands on her was either trying to save her in the midst of battle or if they were holding each other for warmth.

Neither of those conditions applied right now.

She felt him shift beside her and held her breath in anticipation for his next move, her face turning a brilliant shade of scarlet when he pulled her up so that he could bury his face into her hair. He inhaled deeply, making her turn into a deeper shade of red while her eyes clenched shut in embarrassment. Gods, she hoped she smelled decent, but she doubt it since the last thing she remembered was collapsing after another long round at the hospital.

He had to be awake. He had to be doing this to tease her again. A man of his caliber did not just remain asleep like this, especially after she'd likely disturbed his sleep with her subtle movements. But Kakashi didn't pull away.

So Sakura relaxed the tension in her body and leaned her head further against his chest, hesitantly reaching out to wrap an arm around him as well. She waited with bated breath, wondering if he'd wake up and pull away, the close proximity being too much.

But he didn't... if anything, he himself seemed to lose a tension he'd been holding that she hadn't noticed before, too self conscious about her own actions and behavior.

Kakashi was not a cuddler... or so she'd thought.

But if this was a secret side he didn't want to talk about, even with her, she'd gladly take it to her grave.


	11. Chapter 11

Their first kiss had been without the mask.

Sakura had often day dreamed of their first kiss, contemplated on how it would happen. Sasuke had long since squashed any childish ambitions or romanticisms that existed within her, so her approach had been more clinical.

Would he taste like the fabric?

Actually, how often did he clean that thing? The mere thought of how dirty the thin piece of cloth could be made Sakura gag at the possibility.

But no, that didn't sound right. She knew how clean Kakashi actually was, if the neat and organized manner of his apartment before the Hokage manor was anything to go by. He probably did some impossible, exasperation inducing thing to make sure his mask remained clean. His keen sense of smell would also prevent him from allowing something foul to be pressed against him for long periods of time anyways.

Then there was her random musing on how it would happen. She didn't want to push him towards anything he didn't want, so that meant she'd be waiting for him to make the first move. Unfortunately, no matter the scenario, she could never imagine him kissing her first.

She knew he was always distant to others, keeping everyone at arm's length. The fact that he was willing to hold her the way he did at times had been surprisingly enough, sometimes his firm grip making her wonder if he'd actually wanted such a touch but deprived himself of it because of his torrid past. But a kiss... felt too intimate. She couldn't imagine him doing such a thing, even with her.

And so, imagine her surprise when she, sound asleep after given a few hours of rest from the hospital, felt the brush of calloused fingers against her face.

Still mostly asleep, she'd knitted her brows together, but the feel of the hand against her cheek felt familiar. Her senses felt the rhythm of his chakra and she'd immediately relaxed, knowing she was safe. She'd allowed herself to indulge, turning her cheek to press harder against his fingertips, silently encouraging for more, playfully pressing her lips to his palm.

She hadn't expected anything. Maybe a chuckle over her behavior as he was apt to do or, if she was lucky, another session of warm cuddling.

Her eyes flung open the moment she'd felt the press of soft warm lips against her own, emerald meeting half-lidded charcoal eyes.

Sakura didn't know how long they'd remained this way, only breaking out of her dumbfoundedness when he finally  _ moved _ .

He cupped her face more firmly, keeping her steady as he tilted his head to better press his lips against hers. The feel of him so close made her stiffen, but the fact that he was kissing her also melted her. Unexpected, but never unwanted.

She just didn't want to do anything that would scare him off, would stop him from touching her like this.

So she didn't do anything but respond, following his lead and feeling her eyes threaten to flutter shut when she felt his tongue brush the seam of her lips. No, she didn't want to close her eyes. Didn't want to accidentally find out this was just a dream.

Stubbornly, she kept them open, staring deeply into Kakashi's eyes, feeling her heart tremble as he tempted her to part her lips for him. She wanted to wrap her arms around his neck, to pull him even closer to her. Instead, she shakily opened up to let him in, whimpering at the intense heat of his tongue in her mouth.

The sound she made sent a shiver down his spine and Sakura made a small squeak of surprise when Kakashi abruptly jerked her off the couch and onto his lap, her legs parted and straddling him while he held her against him by her lower back, his other hand firmly gripping the back of her neck.

She gave into temptation and wrapped her arms around his neck, wanting to taste him more. The feel of his firm body against hers felt so good and she eagerly devoured his mouth, not completely sure enough to be confident in her movements, but wanting him badly enough to not care to stop.

He kissed her back of equal fervor and Sakura moaned loudly against his lips, no longer able to keep her eyes open and squeezing them shut. She felt as though she was going to suffocate under his wonderful scent and the weight of his lips, but what a glorious death that would be.

Sakura trailed her lips down to his jawline, kissing and nipping the bare skin before coyly trailing down even lower to his neck. She wanted to nibble and bite down on the skin, to see if she can draw out a moan in that sinfully deep voice of his.

Instead, she was hastily pulled back up where Kakashi planted a hard kiss on her head. She remained still, confused by the more innocent gesture, especially since afterwards he then pulled her in for a suffocating hug.

"...Kakashi?" She inquired quietly after remaining in his arms silently for a moment or so.

He didn't answer, still breathing hard while holding her tight. She felt so small within his arms, so delicate and easy to break. He knew she wasn't. By now, Sakura was considered one of the most formidable kunoichis within the village. But still, she felt like glass as he held her and he just wanted to hold her close so that she couldn't crack, so no one could even graze her.

His heart steadied as she didn't even squirm her way out, instead leaning towards him trustingly while holding him back. Kakashi closed his eyes and savored the moment, the clean scent of her hair and the feel of her fingers running up his neck and through his wild silver hair.

And then just as abruptly, he placed her on the couch and turned to leave the room, his hand clutching and rubbing the back of his neck as he left without another word.

Sakura stared at his back, completely dumbfounded but knowing he needed space. A wild blush immediately bloomed on her face, a trembling hand reaching for her kissed lips. She'd barely gotten a glimpse of his face, but it had been... something.

His kisses had also been so tantalizing...

Sakura shook her head wildly before heading to the bathroom. She needed a shower. A really cold shower.

* * *

** _Next day_ **

The knock on the door to her office made Sakura look up. She arched a brow when she saw that it was Shizune's on and off boyfriend. "Genma?"

"Hey," he gave her a casual wave while sauntering inside.

"Are you okay?" She quickly glanced over him to make sure he didn't have some gaping open wound that he was hiding from her. He was just as bad as Kakashi sometimes and had once been caught with a cut from a poisoned senbon. The tongue lashing he'd gotten from Shizune that day was still whispered about in legends within the hospital hallways and the medic who hadn't caught the fact that he was injured and poisoned was still supposedly cleaning bedpans to this day. Sakura narrowed her eyes when she saw no injuries. "What did you do this time?"

"You wound me, Sakura-chan," he mocked held his chest in pain and she crossed her arms, sharp eyes glaring at him. "Alright, alright. ...so... you interested in meeting anyone?"

She stared at him, confounded by the random question. "You on break with Shizune again?"

He flinched and looked around in fear that the dark haired kunoichi was around. "Of course not and are you crazy?  _ You _ are completely off limits! ...though I suppose if the sex was-ugh!"

The paperweight smacked him straight on the stomach. "Just get to the point."

"You've seriously picked up some nasty habits from Tsunade." He rubbed the spot where he'd been hit. "And if you really have to know, Shizune's been worried about you being cooped up at work all the time. She asked me to set you up with someone."

Pink dusted her cheeks and Sakura resisted the urge to bury her face into her hands. Gods, this was embarrassing. She wasn't that much of a workaholic, was she?

"Don't worry about it," he tried to console when he saw the mortification on her face. "The guy's good. Shizune's the one who vetted him and she's the one who also said he has a pretty face, whatever that means. He's a jounin too, so you don't have to worry about any inferiority complexes."

Which Sakura had a history of when it came to attracting men. Apparently despite her known feats, the pink hair was really disarming for many people since a lot of the men who seemed interested in her would also become turned off by just how skilled and strong she actually was compared to them.

"Don't bother asking Kakashi about him though," Genma continued. "I tried asking for his input since I thought he might know something about the guy, but he literally just blew me off and walked away. Must've been annoyed about something in the office. Haven't seen him that stiff shouldered for a while now."

"Wait, wait, wait!" Sakura waved her arms around. "You asked Kakashi for his opinion?"

Mistaking her panicked look, Genma nodded consoling."It's okay. I tried to be subtle about it. I'm sure Kakashi doesn't want details about your love life either."

Kakashi certainly seemed to tune him out whenever he, and in the past Asuma, came to blather about Shizune and Kurenai.

However, when Genma refocused back on Sakura, all he saw was a ridiculously red faced rosette staring at her paperwork very hard.


	12. Chapter 12

Kakashi enjoyed the rare occasion he was free from the office. Though it would have been a simple, albeit annoying, matter for him to simply duck away from his Anbu guard’s watchful gaze and Shikamaru’s annoyed ones, he found he didn’t have it in him to slip away when there were others working so diligently on his behalf and the village.

...maybe another time when he was feeling more desperate.

Instead, he’d given Shikamaru a mock salute filled with absolute seriousness when Shikamaru gave his approval for a break. The black haired man was having none of that, giving Kakashi a look of irritation before walking away, grumbling about troublesome Hokages and ‘what the fuck was I thinking’? I should have just told Sakura to let me die.’

It made Kakashi want to smile. The future generation was coming along nicely and soon, he wouldn’t have to worry about anything.

His eyes roved over his books and paused at the scene of a more heartfelt confession in a book normally filled with the more raunchier variety. Jiraiya always had an eye for detail and while Kakashi always did appreciate every subtle nuance he could find, he found himself stuck on the gaze of the current female lead, the way her glossy eyes would stare hesitantly at the hero while a deep blush would grace her cheeks.

Granted, Sakura had a more petite figure, but the determined flare in the heroine’s eyes despite her nervousness was very much the epitome of Sakura. Even if she was scared, she’d never back away. It was one of the traits he found admirable about her.

His feet automatically took a turn around the corner and he ended up in the pathway towards the hospital. If he’d timed it right, she should be out on a break soon. He knew she’d have no qualms about being whisked away from the hospital during her break and knew by now that she very much enjoyed it if he simply held her on his lap, even if he was reading more than talking to her. She'd curl up against him and he'd find himself soothed by the sound of her soft breathing as she napped.

“Hey Kakashi,” he glanced up to see Genma flagging him down in the corner. Resisting the urge to heavy a weary sigh, he walked towards him.

“Yo.”

“Finally got away from the dungeon?”

“For now,” knowing he’d only have a few hours to himself before Shikamaru sicced Anbu on him. Kakashi had neither the energy nor the interest to play hide and seek with them. At least not today. Maybe another day. 

“What the hell is keeping everyone so busy anyways? Shizune’s always at the hospital and I haven’t got laid in weeks. Weeks!” Genma griped, the senbon swishing between from one end of his mouth to the other. “We’re in peace times, right? Shouldn’t be this busy.”

Kakashi didn’t reply, flipping a page instead. He knew Genma was more than aware of why they were all busy. Generally, while noted as “peace times”, almost everyone knew it was anything but that.

Moments of peace was when people armed for battle, to prepare themselves and to prevent another horrible war from happening. The elemental nations might have joined together to fight a common enemy, but that didn’t mean this peace would last. It was why Naruto was constantly being sent on long diplomatic missions. A constant reminder was needed to the other villages of who it was that had helped unite them and defeat the enemy, along with the more subtle nudge of how the blonde was to be the next Hokage.

It also didn't hurt that Naruto’s presence was a quiet warning about Sasuke’s presence, and of how he still walked freely and would interfere with anything he deemed dangerous and unnecessary.

Kakashi knew that Sasuke’s resentment towards Konoha would never truly fade, that it was the people that lived within the village that stayed his hand. He wouldn’t lay a hand on Konoha as long as Naruto was here.

Though how Sakura fell into this equation...

Kakashi quietly released the tight grip he had on his book. He had multiple copies of the Icha Icha books, but this was the one signed by Jiraiya-sama.

“Seriously, Kakashi, give a man a break.” Genma, who had obviously been talking the entire time, continued to moan. “Like... give her a month off or something.”

“I think just half an hour would be sufficient for you. Though that’s probably generous too.”

“Ouch,” Genma scowled before deciding to change the topic since Kakashi didn’t seem like he was going to relent. “How’s Sakura-chan doing by the way?”

“Hm? Why are you asking me?” another page was flipped.

“You two are practically glued to the hip. It’s either Shikamaru or Sakura-chan that you’re always with.” Genma continued nonchalantly. “But at least the Nara kid goes home sometimes. Sakura practically lives with you.”

“We sometimes work at her apartment too.”

“Yeah, because that makes it so much better.” Genma snorted. “You really need to give her a break too, and some space while you’re at it.”

There was a pause of silence as Kakashi clearly ignored Genma in favor of reading. The brown haired man, clearly used to this behavior, continued on.

“Seriously, is she seeing anyone?” Genma continued. ”Can’t be healthy for a young, hot woman like her to always be working like that.”

Another page was flipped.

“When was the last time she went on a date? Hell, when was the last time she ever had fun? I’ve only ever seen her at the hospital or attached to you, talking about work or sparring.”

Flip.

“Shizune’s getting worried too. She’s always saying it’s not healthy for someone of Sakura’s age, or any age for that matter as I’ve constantly pointed out to her, to be working all the time like that.”

Flip.

“Do you know anything about this Kanto guy who works with the messenger falcons? Heard it’s some Jounin pretty boy, according to Shizune, though I don’t see it. The closest thing I agree where a guy was considered pretty was that Sasuke when he was little. Lots of people confused him for a girl back then.”

Flip.

“Anyways, it doesn’t need to be anything serious. Shizune’s right though. Like the rest of us, Sakura-chan needs to go out and get la-.”

The book was loudly clapped shut and promptly shoved away into Kakashi’s side bag. Hiding his clenched fists by shoving them into his pockets, he walked stiffly past Genma with his gaze trained on the ground so that others wouldn’t see the dark shift in his eyes.

Genma stared at Kakashi’s disappearing form in surprise before shrugging. Made sense that Kakashi wouldn’t like to hear about his former student’s potential sex life. At least the man couldn’t say he didn’t warn him beforehand about trying to match the rosette up with someone.

* * *

Kakashi paused on the way to the hospital when he felt the muted thrum of Sakura’s chakra graze the tip of his senses. He was still a way off from the hospital, but he was near her apartment.

Without further thought, he turned towards the direction and immediately leaped up to her balcony the moment he saw her building. Her scent reached him from the open sliding door and he inhaled deeply, feeling himself growing calmer at the familiar smell, but also at the same time, irritated.

He quietly entered the living room and saw her asleep on the couch, obviously exhausted by her rounds at the hospital. His fists clenched tighter within his palms as his fingers itched to grab her, to pull her into his arms and just simple revel in her presence.

But she looked so tired. He didn’t want to wake her...

Kakashi walked closer and crouched down beside her. He stared at her sleeping face for a while, berating himself for something he didn’t really understand. What had he been planning when he reached the hospital? He didn’t really have an idea... but after listening to Genma blather on, he felt the irresistible pull to find her, to see her.

But see her and do what?

A part of him simply wanted to just hold her, to feel her run her fingers through his hair soothingly while sometimes nuzzling into the side of his own face. Her reassuring touch always felt nice, especially since she seemed content to be by his side and not pull away. No one else seemed to take priority for her unless it was a patient who needed her or some other emergency.

And to be that priority to her... to be that number one to her...

His chest tightened to the point that he felt like he was suffocating and Kakashi jerked his mask down, trying to control his breathing so that he didn’t accidentally wake her up.

Selfish.

He was such a selfish idiot.

Still... a part of him wanted to remain so unbearably selfish.

Kakashi reached out to brush his fingers against her cheek. It was supposed to be a simple thing. He just couldn’t resist the magnetic pull, the urge to at least touch her a bit.

He saw the way she scrunched up in confusion and smiled at how she leaned into his touch trustingly, content in knowing that she felt safe around him. But then she turned her head more, pressing her lips against his hand and Kakashi froze.

Her nuzzling into him as a kitten, he was accustomed to. Sakura had always been freer with her affections compared to the others in his life. However, a more intimate touch like this... the personal, private touch she wouldn’t give to anyone unless they were particularly special... it was still too soon since his talk with Genma. It was too soon for him to ignore and remove himself from the aggravation that he’d felt when Genma had tried to subtly wheedle information about Sakura’s love life. Of a potential other who would be on the receiving end of her sweet hugs and playful affection.

Kakashi leaned down and brushed his lips against hers, keeping his eyes open as he wanted to drink in her reaction, to drown himself within her expressive eyes. No one showed their emotions as freely and openly like her. Even when she tried to hide it, Sakura was an open book to him.

He saw how her eyes flew open, the shock in those emerald depths. He waited for her to pull away, maybe even slap him for abruptly kissing her without her consent. He teased her with subtle movements, wanting to see her reaction. Maybe she was still half-asleep. Maybe she was still too surprised to move.

But she still didn't fight him.

She didn’t mind his touch.

If anything, she responded to his kiss, quivering and breath hitching with each subtle shift. Opening herself up to him, giving access to the hot sweetness of her mouth. Staring straight at him with glazed green eyes with uninhibited need.

_ And then she fucking whimpered. _

All of this was too much for his flailing self-control, the want that was gnawing at him. He grabbed her and roughly pulled her off of the couch and onto his lap, hungrily devouring what she was so pliantly offering him.

The taste of her lips were intoxicating and his fingers crawled up her neck and twisted within her hair, clutching them and tilting her head so that he could savor her mouth to his liking.

Gods, and then he felt her lean towards him, eagerly wrapping her arms around his neck. As much as Kakashi tried to stay out of the private affairs of his old students, he knew for a fact that Sakura didn't have much experience in this, knew Sasuke was probably too emotionally detached and traumatized to be able to even express himself physically like this. But the eagerness Sakura showed, her raw display of want was enough for him to not even notice her inexperience, his fingers digging into her skin as he tried to reign in the desire to pin her onto the ground and devour her whole.

Her lips trailed down his face and Kakashi panted at how she caressed his skin with her mouth, the way she tempted and enticed him to just let go and take what he wanted from her. No, give  _ her _ exactly what she was begging from  _ him _ . He felt her going for his neck and knew the moment she went there, he wouldn't have it in him to stop.

Summoning what scraps were left of his sanity, Kakashi roughly pulled her back up and distracted himself by kissing her hard on the temple.

This was not why he wanted to see her today and he refused to allow their first moments like this to be driven by his own impotence and jealousy.

She deserved so much more than that.

Kakashi held her tightly within his arms, desperately trying to control his breathing. It didn't help that she wasn't saying a word, simply sitting so plaint and warm on his lap while quietly holding him back.

He didn't know how long he held her, how long he remained with her on his lap as he kept his face pressed against her hair. Eventually, he heard her tentative whisper. "...Kakashi?"

He had to leave. He had to get out of here.

Kakashi picked her up and placed her back on the couch, unable to look her in the eye. He was grateful she didn't say anything and hastily made his leave in case she changed his mind.

Once outside, he realized he'd yet to pull up his mask. His shoulders sagged and he lifted up the material, leaning back against the door to Sakura's apartment. He paused before he covered his mouth, his lips still tingling in memory of the heated kiss.

The stunned, flustered look on her face.

A small smile escaped before it was swiftly covered up by his mask.


	13. Chapter 13

"Oi, forehead girl, you have that stupid look on your face again." Ino snarked, having spent the past five minutes trying to get a reaction out of her. Her eyelid twitched when she saw Sakura hadn't even blinked at her remark, staring dumbly out the window. "Sakura!"

There was a startled gasp when Ino shook her hard by the shoulder. The rosette turned to her in surprise. "Ino! When did you get here?"

Ino crossed her arms over her chest, tossing her hair over her shoulder. "A while now. Apparently that huge forehead of yours is actually just for decoration since you really don’t seem like you have any brain cells to spare. Pity, since you already had so little."

The blonde waited for the usual explosive reaction and frowned when Sakura paused and pressed a hand to her temple instead, looking lost in her thoughts all over again. Ino narrowed her eyes.

"Fess up, forehead. What's going on?"

"Hm?" She barely appeared to have heard her.

"Sakura!"

"Nothing, it's nothing." She reassured, now running her hand through her hair instead. "Don't worry about it. Your pig brain wouldn't be able to handle my level of intellect."

"You're hiding something."

Sakura waved it away. "We're shinobi. When _ aren't _ we hiding something?"

"Right," Ino drawled, but didn't pry further. The harder she pushed, the more Sakura would clam up. Besides, she'd get it out of her eventually. Instead she held out her hand. "C'mon. It's time for lunch and you promised to pay this time."

"I did not!!"

* * *

Sakura peeked at Kakashi through her lashes, watching as he signed another batch of documents that Shikamaru had left for him. Over a week had passed since the incident at her apartment and nothing had happened since then. They hadn't even talked about it.

She didn't want to bring it up, was concerned she'd drudge up unwanted memories or feelings he didn't want to think about. At times, she actually hated herself for how selfish she was.

But gods, she wanted him to kiss her again.

Had she been that terrible at it? Is that why he never even looked at her lips? Never even considered kissing her again? Sakura tried not to fidget. She'd only kissed a handful of people. Sasuke for one, a guy or two outside the village due to mission purposes, and a few disastrous dates. None of the relationships had grown deep enough for her to know.

She knew she had probably been in over her head when she'd basically demanded she wanted to know Kakashi more... but honestly, nothing had changed much. Maybe there was more affection between them, but that didn't change that she still didn't know him that well.

This... whatever this was... wasn't going to develop into some sort of physical relationship only thing, was it? She didn't think she could handle that sort of thing. No, no, Kakashi wasn't that type of man to do that to her since he clearly knew what type of person she was. Stop overthinking!

Kakashi watched in amusement at the array of emotions that flitted through Sakura's face. "Time for a break?"

"I think so," she said faintly with a weak smile.

Get a grip! She wasn't the insecure 12 year old anymore. There was no point in dwelling so much on something she didn't know. Kakashi wanted to give this a chance and so, she would follow his lead. He never engaged himself in anything he didn't want.

Sakura drank all of her lukewarm tea and exhaled, feeling calmer.

Trust him and trust in herself enough to accept that she may not know what she was doing exactly, but she knew herself enough to know that she would be fine. No matter the outcome.

Her eyes strayed towards Kakashi again.

...but about that kiss...

* * *

"Seriously, what is going on with you?" Ino stared at Sakura's miserable, slumped form with an irritated glower. "Yesterday you looked like a zombie caught in a genjutsu and now you look like someone stepped on one of your ridiculously heavy medical tomes!"

"...it's nothing," Sakura's reply was muffled due to how her face was plastered on the table.

Ino snorted, obviously not believing her. "Spill it, forehead."

Sakura looked up at Ino, immediately feeling a stab of envy at the beautiful, voluptuous blonde. She definitely didn't have trouble getting kisses from the men she wanted. In fact, Sakura knew for a fact that Ino probably had a date tonight while she... while she...

Sakura groaned into her desk.

While she had a date with her ridiculously heavy medical tomes.

"Tell me!"

"No! Go away, you beautiful bitch!!"

* * *

Another week passed by in misery until Sakura had enough. She was no longer the type of woman to bemoan her fate or simple curl up in a corner and cry about everything. She was a woman of action now and a woman of action actually did something other than lie down and show her underbelly in submission!

With that thought, the moment she was done with work, Sakura ran to her apartment and began to shower and obsessively brush her teeth at least three times. This time she wouldn't be caught unaware. She wouldn't smell like the weird funk from the hospital like she probably did last time since Kakashi caught her literally while she was on break and taking a nap at home. Her breath would smell nice and minty fresh and definitely not like the ramen she'd eaten last time since she'd been too tired to make any food.

It would go so much better and once she succeeded, Kakashi would definitely want to kiss her more as well!

But if he seemed uncomfortable, she would immediately halt any further attempts to kiss him until he initiated again. Maybe the first time was a fluke. She didn't know. However, he did kiss her before, so hopefully that meant he wasn't completely against the thought.

She just hoped she wasn't misreading things because she really wanted him to kiss her again, really wanted to kiss him again too.

“Yes?” Kakashi looked up from his work and tilted his head towards her, having noticed how Sakura had been trying to make subtle glances at him for a while now. It was always funny to him how she could be a superb actress when it came to missions and dealing with unruly patients, but she was horrible at trying to hide something from him and only him. She often had no trouble with any of their friends, depending on the secret.

She stared so intently at him, he wondered if she was trying to drill a hole through his skin with her gaze. Instead, she turned and stared at the desk instead. “...nothing.”

“Sakura, you know you can tell me anything, right?”

“Of course,” she blurted. “But... no, it’s nothing.”

Shit. She truly was a coward, but she couldn’t help it. Due to her past experiences, she was accustomed to being rejected and denied emotionally. It was something familiar enough to know how to deal with. Physical rejection... knowing that someone she was interested in this deeply might not find her physically appealing... she had enough insecurities as it was and didn’t need anything else to add to that stack of inner-horror.

Sakura sighed and mumbled about getting more tea for them.

When she got back, Kakashi murmured his thanks for the tea and she settled back down on her seat cushion. One of his traits that she enjoyed was that he was willing to drop a subject and wait until she was ready to open. Ino was getting better at giving her space (more like craftier about forcibly dragging information out of her), but there was something about Kakashi’s calmness that she preferred.

She glanced at him one more time and felt her heart skip a beat at just watching him study the official documents sent to him by the tradesmen from the civilian sector. Sakura ducked her head back down to her own pile of paper and resisted the urge to sigh, hating how needy she was.

Her fingers moved from underneath the table, trailing towards her side until she clutched onto the edge of Kakashi’s shirt, tugging at it almost inconspicuously. She heard rather than saw his pen stop writing and stared at the documents in front of her harder.

“Why...” she began shyly. “No... I mean...”

He didn’t say anything, waiting patiently for her to speak.

Sakura licked her lips and tried again. “Can... Can we kiss again?”

She couldn’t look at him after uttering the embarrassing request, but she certainly didn’t regret saying it outloud. If anything, there was pure relief at finally having had the courage to finally say it. Still, she waited with bated breath, hoping he wouldn’t say no.

“Sakura...”

“W-We don’t have to if you don’t want to,” she quickly stammered out. “I just... well... it was nice, what happened before I mean. I... kind of... no, I want to do it again! Um... if you want to too, I mean.”

She knew she was mangling the edge of his shirt by now, but didn’t dare let go. Her face was probably more akin to the color of a tomato than human skin by now. Still, hope fluttered within her at the prospect of a kiss, so she squelched any urge to run and hide. To simply wait for the verdict.

“...you want to kiss me?”

His question surprised her and she blurted out the answer before she could even contemplate the weight of them. “Yes!”

Damn it! This was why Ino was always scolding her, saying the opposite sex would forever have the upper hand over her. She was always so much more openly loving than others. It would make it so easy for people to just take what they wanted from her because they knew what she wanted, knew just how much she cared.

But she wanted an honest relationship with Kakashi.

She glanced up at him and saw him regarding her seriously with quiet, intent eyes.

Yes, she didn’t care about power dynamics or whatever people are always blathering on when it came to relationships.

Sakura gave him a weak smile. “I liked kissing you. A lot. And I want to do it again. A lot.”

She muffled a small noise of surprise when Kakashi reached down to grab her wrist, freeing his ruined shirt from her hold. He pulled her towards him until she was settled down on his lap and she relaxed, feeling his arms around her waist, his one hand now knitting their fingers together. However, stiffness threatened to return to her shoulders when she found how tense Kakashi was beneath her. It was only due to his reassuring hold on her fingers that more darker thoughts didn’t intrude in her head.

Instead, she sunk into his warmth again and leaned back, pressing her head against his chest.

“...what’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” he drew circles on her hand with his thumb. “It’s just... you deserve better than me.”

“I get to decide what I deserve,” she easily answered back. 

She felt the rumble of his chuckle and peered upward, unable to resist temptation any longer when he was this close. If he denied her, she’d back off. But she really, really wanted to... and so, she leaned up and pressed her lips against the underside of his jaw, not caring that she tasted fabric more than skin. Being so close to him and inundated with his scent, however, more than made up for that disappointment.

Kakashi stilled at the feel of her lips and one of his hands trailed up her arm until it reached her head, his fingers entangling with the pink locks. He pulled away from her mouth and tugged at her hair, pulling until she reluctantly leaned away from him and gave him the space to nuzzle into the side of her head.

As if he could deny her when she asked like this...

As if he could deny her anything.

He brought up their joined hands and pressed her hand against his face, letting her hand go and resting his hand on her hip. It wasn’t long until he felt her fingers curling up and grasping the edge of his mask, gently pulling at it until it pooled around his neck. Kakashi waited a moment longer, enjoying the feel of her against him, before he pulled away to look at her.

The way her face turned into her growing trade-mark of cherry red made him smile and he resisted the urge to look away when he saw her eyes glimmer with focus, drinking him in completely, committing what she saw to memory. He was grateful when she didn’t comment on his face, instead choosing to reach up and stroke his cheek with her palm. Kakashi leaned into her touch, closing his eyes and savoring the warmth, the feel of her hand against his bare skin. He didn't think he could ever wear the mask around her again if it meant missing out on her touch.

Yes, this was much better than before when he’d given into pettiness and jealousy.

And then he shivered when he felt her skim her lips over the beauty mark beside his mouth. That was definitely not where he thought her attention would settle on her first. 

Kakashi felt her shift on his lap, turning around until she straddled him, her hands reaching up to greedily cup his face. As though he’d flipped a switch by showing his own interest in kissing her, Sakura eagerly pressed her lips into his mouth, a little too hard at first before drawing back to soften it, tilting her head to better press against him.

He allowed her to explore, his hands resting on both sides of her hips, her tongue brushing shyly yet curiously against the seams of his lips. His fingers dug into her skin when he opened for her, felt the taste of her tongue roving eagerly within his mouth. He peeked between heavy eyelids and felt his self-control shake when he saw the way her eyes were clenched shut in concentration, focusing and reveling in the sensation of her tongue curling around his own.

She finally pulled away for air, but instead of moving away, she pressed her forehead against his, her hands still clutching onto the sides of his face as she softly panted. Sakura’s eyes were still closed, but he shivered at her words spoken through her husky voice. “...you taste good...”

Her honesty was going to be the death of him.

This time, he was the one who pulled her in, grabbing the back of her head and hungrily devouring her mouth. He pressed against her so hard that her body tilted back slightly, supported by his hand on her head that made sure she remained close. She responded just as ardently as before, following his movements as best as she could while her arm wound its way around his neck, her hand diving into the forest of his silver hair.

The little sounds she made, the small moans and whimpers... he wanted to coax more of it out of her.

When they pulled away briefly, she whispered his name breathlessly. “Kakashi...”

He pecked her lips, staving off the urge for more. She wanted to kiss him. She didn’t say anything beyond that. Kakashi brushed his lips against hers again. He wanted more, but that wasn’t all he wanted from her. Just as she followed his lead, respected his boundaries, he would do the same.

And until she indicated otherwise...

He smiled when she giggled, leaning forward to press another chaste kiss against his lips.

...he would be very much content with her sweet, alluring kisses.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy November!
> 
> I told myself I'd post a new chapter if the vet visit for my elderly dog went well and good news, it went well...-ish. xD Thought he had cancer, but it's benign! Still has a slew of other health issues, but he's an old man. Just gotta do what I can for that.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Let me know~


	14. Chapter 14

Sakura had a goofy smile on her face. She knew very well it was on her face and how it had been there for days now, but she’d found it impossible to hide it. Whenever Ino came around, Sakura ran to hide, saying she was too busy for lunch. Not a complete lie, but Ino was suspicious as it was. The smile would just cinch any suspicions she would have!

Still, Sakura felt the stupid smile grow bigger when she recalled just a few hours ago in the morning. She’d just dropped by to give Kakashi his morning tea, having spent the rare occasion in her own apartment the night before. And then while the office was empty, she’d boldly leaned down and kissed him on the cheek.

A small gesture, but it’d made her so giddy... especially when she saw the surprised look on Kakashi’s face.

Sakura buried her face into her hands in embarrassment, but unable to regret anything. She’d left him stunned like that, scampering off to the hospital since she sensed a Kotetsu coming in to drop off a message delivered by a genin.

Kakashi had gotten his revenge later when she’d been too swamped with work to go out for lunch. He’d appeared with a bento, saying he was just there to drop it off since he’d remembered being harassed by a very pretty, but very scary pink haired medic-nin who had beaten into his head on the dangers of skipping a meal. Before she could get a word in otherwise, he’d tilted her head up as she remained seated behind her desk, his mask quickly pulled down so that he could kiss her hungrily for a few seconds before vanishing in a puff of smoke... leaving her to be very red faced and tongue-tied in front of a very confused Shizune who'd come in to scold her about missing lunch.

It was quickly evolving into a game...

* * *

_ Sakura hastily walked down the hallway, knowing she was going to be late with a meeting with some of the builders of the new medical hall. She yelped, however, when a hand shot out from the nearby storage room and roughly pulled her inside. The door slammed shut and Sakura just about broke the nose of whoever grabbed her, only to scowl when she saw who it was. _

_ “Kakas-oomph!” her back hit the wall as he kissed her without inhibition, none of his usual subtle teasing until she was all but begging for more kisses. Sakura’s eyes widened in shock at first until her knees began to buckle at the feel of his tongue slipping between her lips, heat spiraling throughout her entire body. Her fingers clutched onto the sleeves of his shirt, hanging onto him as he greedily devoured her mouth. _

_ Before she could find it in her to take control, he pulled away, leaving her breathless and flustered against the wall. She saw the cocky smile on his face as he pulled up his mask, his eyes crinkling up with amusement. “Have a nice meeting, Sakura.” _

* * *

A game, unfortunately for her, she often found herself on the losing side of.

It was something that often left her so irritated and frustrated. It wasn’t like she could undergo some sort of training regime to improve her kissing skills and she’d rather stab herself with a rusty spork than turn to Ino for advice. She didn’t want to let anyone know about her budding relationship with Kakashi. At least, not right now... she wanted all of him for herself at the moment.

* * *

_ Sakura’s hand cupped the side of his face, the other resting on top of the sofa as she leaned forward and placed her weight on it. Her eyes had fluttered closed moments ago as she opened her mouth at the same time he did his, their tongues reaching out in between to curl up against one another. While the theory of a deeper kiss like this had made Sakura recoil in the past, half in embarrassment and half unable to fathom enjoying something so slimy sounding like that, she now made small sounds of delight when she felt the burning heat of his tongue against hers. _

_ She drank in the taste of his mouth, breath hitched as she took her time to explore. She loved how patient he was, allowing her to kiss him however she wanted to. Giving her the moment and time to figure out what she liked and, best of all, what he liked. And Sakura definitely enjoyed discovering what kind of kiss Kakashi preferred. _

_ Her hand trailed down his face until she reached the back of his neck, pulling him closer to her; her body, however, moved differently, pressing closer against him until he finally relented and leaned back onto the couch, sinking into it while she was basically lying on top of him, drowning herself in the feel of his mouth. Sakura nipped his bottom lip and tugged at it teasingly, enjoying the groan that she elicited from him. She loved the sound of his deep voice and the needy sounds he’d sometimes make when she found just the right touch, the perfect pull of his hair. _

_ She wanted to taste more of him, to drag her tongue down his skin and bite down. However, she knew better than to stray her lips lower than his face. At least for now, until these sensations weren’t too overwhelming and she didn’t feel so shy and unprepared for what would come with wanting more than just these sweet kisses. The last time she’d kissed his neck... _

_ “Sakura...” his breathless whisper of her name distracted her from the heavy memory and she smiled, kissing his cheek and nuzzling into his face. Kakashi ran his fingers down her spine and Sakura melted on top of him, lazily splaying kisses on his face while chuckling softly, before turning her attention back to his delicious mouth. _

* * *

Kakashi stared at his cup of sake hard. He’d forgoed tea, finding it to be a little weak for his liking at the moment.

Since the end of the war, nights like this had grown rarer. His regrets lingered, but the sting of them were much lighter. He found himself sleeping better at night these days.

But tonight... tonight he needed to get his mind off of things.

Kakashi felt heat flare up on his cheeks at the memory of her lips, her curiosity and eagerness to explore... not just the kiss, but of him. He knew what she was interested in wasn’t simply just a kiss, but the fact that it was a kiss from  _ him _ . She was the type of woman who would be way more interested in the man than the physical act itself.

The knowledge of that made Kakashi down the sake in one shot, appreciating the burn that helped clear his mind from the alluring memory of Sakura’s flustered face hovering above him with her hair tousled and clothes in disarray, her reddened lips that she’d lick while she sat on top of him, and the glaze of her glowing emerald eyes staring at him with such affection and heat.

He reached over to pour himself another glass.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Something short and sweet. Hope you guys enjoy~


	15. Chapter 15

Sakura shivered under her thick fur-lined jacket, feeling the cold seeping in even through the standard issued winter-wear for jounins. The uniform was made to withstand extreme temperatures, but apparently, the cold weather of Kiri was still too much. Or perhaps she was just too spoiled with the warmer climate of Konoha.

She breathed hot air into her hands, trying to warm them up.

“Sakura-san! I’m so sorry! Were you waiting long?” a small flow of mist dissipated as the figure jumped down from the nearby dark building, revealing the blue haired shinobi with dark-rimmed glasses.

“Chojuro-san,” she greeted with a smile and a wave. “I just got here as well!”

“I’m so sorry,” he repeated himself, bowing fervently in apology. “I-I was trying to come to our agreed meeting place when Ao-san suddenly kept me back longer than expected.”

Sakura merely smiled, keeping it to herself that the older man disapproved of her greatly and was trying to subtly snide her again. It made her want to roll her eyes, especially since she had enough experience with pettiness with the elders back at Konoha. They considered her too young and inexperienced to lead Konoha’s medical division, which was why Shizune was the head medic right now and not her. Granted, Sakura did agree that Shizune was the better choice, but she’d rather bite her tongue off than admit to anything that the elders agreed with.

And them also always harassing Naruto, Sasuke, Sai, Yamato, and Kakashi had a lot to do with the antipathy she felt towards them.

“It’s okay,” she reassured. “So where’s this great restaurant you wanted to take me to?”

He perked up at her words and she saw the blush forming on his cheeks. It was kind of cute how such a fearsome man could be so shy and unconfident with himself like this. She’d heard and witnessed his feats. Rumor also had it that he was likely to be the next Mizukage in the near future.

“I-It’s down this alleyway,” he said, pointing at the dark corner between towering buildings.

“Chojuro-san,” Sakura said, sounding shocked. “Taking me into a dark alleyway? Don’t you know that there are enough rumors about us right now?”

His hand dropped to his side and Sakura saw how the redness exploded on his face. “N-No! I-I didn’t mean to-! I-I mean, I-I was-! I-!”

“I’m just teasing,” she laughed and danced around him, making her way to the alleyway. “Come on, I want to see the place you told me about. Naruto kept going on and on about how Kiri destroyed the sacredness of ramen, so I’ve been wanting to see what he meant. He doesn’t have much taste buds on him, so I know better than to trust his opinion.”

“R-Right,” Chojuro rubbed the back of his neck nervously as he followed her.

Sakura slowed her pace until she was behind him by just a step, making sure to keep a respectable distance to him. Not that it would matter. Ever since she set foot into Kiri and it was decided that Chojuro would be her guide, rumors had exploded about possible inter-village marriage since the two got along so well. The Mizukage certainly wasn’t helping in this matter. If anything, she was fanning the flames with great glee.... and then sometimes doing a scary 180 where she’d then lament about her lack of marital status. Meanwhile, Ao didn’t hesitate to show his disapproval every time they saw each other.

Sakura didn't say anything about it outloud, but she was honestly having way too much fun than she should be in driving the older man nuts by showing him nothing but politeness and respect.

Killing him with kindness, have at you.

Sakura slowed her steps as she saw Chojuro stop in front of a small dark shop. It almost looked closed due to how there was no light coming out from the windows at all. She arched an eyebrow at him while he gave her a sheepish smile, opening the door for her to enter.

Internally shrugging off the inner-kunoichi in her demanding answers, she walked in and was immediately hit by the delicious, familiar scent of ramen. She paused at the entryway, taken aback at how there was actually light inside the store. Stepping inside to give room for Chojuro to enter, she looked curiously at the window panes and saw that they were covered with some sort of material that shaded the light from showing outside.

Probably a relict from the Bloody Mist.

During such dangerous times, it was best to let other people believe that there was no one in the building. Lights meant there were people. People meant there may be potential targets that needed to be exterminated.

Sakura didn’t comment on it, following Chojuro to the bar instead. He was speaking animatedly with the chef, obviously knowing the man well. It made her smile whenever she saw this side of him. Chojuro was older than her, but his timidness and mild manners reminded her so much of Hinata sometimes that it was easy to grow fond of him.

He glanced back at her shyly before turning quickly to the chef again.

Though she really hoped she hadn’t given the wrong impression.

Sakura was fond of Chojuro. Really, she was. But more like a brother. Sometimes, with the way he behaved, he seemed like a little brother (even though he was basically a solid foot taller than her and two years older). Other times, he was a reliable older brother who was fun to spar with since he was so strong and skilled. Not to mention, his knowledge of the area was very helpful whenever she’d go gather medicinal herbs or other ingredients for the hospital.

When he’d invited her out to dinner tonight, she hadn’t been sure if he meant as just friends or for something potentially more. A bit concerned that she might be reading too deeply into it, especially since Chojuro did get flustered by many other people as well, she’d accepted since they had gone out to dinner together several times while she stayed in Kiri.

Though... the look in his eyes this time around...

He’d stared straight into her eyes while his face was a full blown strawberry red.

“Sakura-san,” she broke out of her thoughts when she saw Chojuro gesturing at her to come over. The chef was now gone and she could hear the man working in the back kitchen. “T-This is the place I brought Naruto over last time.”

"It looks nice," she said as she sat down next to him at the bar. And it was true. There was a nice, cozy feel to the room. Warm compared to the iciness outside and the flickering of the yellow light bulbs adding a dull yet nostalgic haze. It seemed more inviting than the more darker, colder architecture of Kiri.

"Yeah, I know the o-owner. He's really nice and his ramen is really good." Chojuro had a soft smile on his face, obviously remembering what made this place special to him. It made Sakura make a mental note to hit Naruto up his head for his likely thoughtless comment of how the food here, to put it mildly, was a disgrace to the purity of ramenhood.

As though summoned to redeem itself, a steaming bowl of ramen was placed in front of her. She looked up to see the grinning chef staring down at her. "Chojuro, I knew you had it in you, boy! She's a looker, bwahaha!"

Sakura immediately turned red while Chojuro looked as though the Mizukage had just ordered him to strip naked and do a sword dance with Hirameki, turning an odd shade of pink and palling at the same time. "J-Jiisan!"

The man said no more, returning to the backroom while still roaring with laughter. His booming voice could still be heard from where the two sat. "Told you boys that Chojuro was into the girl. He wouldn't bring just anyone here. Not to my shop, at least!"

"I am so sorry, Sakura-san!" He gave her a stiff bow, looking absolutely mortified.

Sakura gave him a smile. "It's fine! Don't worry about it. Let's eat before the noodles get all bloated!"

She turned to her bowl and was taken aback when she saw that the noodles were a vividly dark green shade. The scent of the broth was also very much like the sea, the floating bits and pieces of meat looking more skin to the seafaring side. Though her brain was telling her this was weird, her curiosity was stronger. 

"The noodles are made with kelp," he explained when he saw her inquisitive look while she reached for a pair of chopsticks. "It's famous around the village because no one is able to replicate it the way jiisan makes it."

Sakura took a bite of it and knew immediately that Naruto was probably biased in his loyalty towards Ichiraku. The texture of the noodles were delicious and the faint taste of the sea from the noodles themselves definitely added to the heartiness of the broth. "This is delicious!"

Chojuro smiled while watching her "I'm glad."

Sakura caught his stare and while, normally she'd have held it, the intensity of his gaze almost made her choke on the noodles. It was from like earlier when he'd asked her out to dinner... much different from how he normally behaved around her. Without thinking, Sakura quickly looked away and stared at her bowl instead.

"You... You should eat too." She tried to say firmly, but it came out as a whisper.

"Ah, yeah, you're right. Jiisan will kill me if I get the noodles soggy." there seemed to be a bit more confidence in his voice and for some reason, that made Sakura blush. Oh no, this was definitely going in the wrong direction. She needed to clear this up before it became a deeper misunderstanding. "Tomorrow's when you return to Konoha, right?"

Shoot, she should have said something before he changed the mood! "Y-Yes. The mission was only for three days anyways, to assist the minor flu epidemic that was going on. I trained the hospital staff on how to deal with it so that they won't be so overwhelmed the next time it happens."

"I'm glad. Sincerely." Chojuro stared into his bowl, his eyebrows furrowing together in serious contemplation. "Before... something like a cold would seriously kill people here because we didn't have the proper way of caring for the sick. The weather doesn't help either. Their regular cold will become more severe and they'd eventually succumb to it."

"But Kiri is doing better now. You guys are getting back to your feet everyday under Mei-sama."

"Yes, which is why I wouldn't hesitate to give my life for her. She saved us all." He paused and tilted his head, giving her a warm smile. "I know it's a mission, but I'm very grateful to you as well. Along with the other people in Kiri. I know we weren't the most hospitable people when you first started coming here whenever we requested assistance from Konoha, but you never held it against us and always helped us with everything you had."

"I-I was just-."

"You stayed up almost three nights straight, working without stopping because there was a landslide that almost killed a smaller village nearby affiliated with Kiri." He said calmly. "I... I heard from Naruto that you tend to overdo it, so someone should be keeping an eye on you so that you don't. If I had known that earlier, I would have never allowed you to work until you collapsed like that."

Sakura winced, remembering how angry everyone had been. She could still hear Tsunade-shishou's sharp reprimand on how there was no point if the medic overworked herself in such a manner because the medic would then end up just becoming another one of the impaired who needed to be cared for. Rest was just as much of a part of their duty as training. Her only consolation was that she had allowed herself to collapse after treating the last patient, meaning no one had died under her watch. Not that that had shortened her time from being grounded from missions and hospital work alike. Shizune had also scolded her without mercy, saying it showed unprofessionalism because it meant the medic-nin was incompetent enough to not understand just how dangerous it was for the healer to be one of the sick when they are the sole caretaker.

Passion was one thing. Overworking yourself to the ground when people needed you was basically selfishness.

Thinking about it now, after the incident, she had noticed Chojuro hovering over her more often whenever she was requested by Kiri for assistance. When she was in Suna, Temari or Kankuro would make random appearances to drag her out of the hospital. Sakura had always assumed Kurotsuchi was just overly enthusiastic about spars and trying new eateries in Iwa. Kumo also appeared to be in the know-how of her habits since C would reluctantly pop in and ply food or rest on her, indirectly and also directly calling her a fool and stupid for not taking care of herself.

Knowing that there was basically a shinobi in every country set to watch her because of her bad habit was utterly embarrassing and horrifying to figure out. Gods, she was such a child. She literally had a babysitter stationed in each country!

Chojuro chuckled at how she slumped over her ramen dejectedly.

"Don't feel bad. We all understand that it's because you really care and want to help, regardless of which village the person is aligned with. Setting that sort of thing aside is very admirable."

"We did it during the war," Sakura replied. "Why else should it be any different now?"

Chojuro stared at her, knowing that Sakura was deeply into Konoha's politics, unwittingly or wittingly due to having close ties with three generations of Hokages: past, present, and near future. She wasn't naive enough to be oblivious about lingering tensions, regardless of the past forced camaraderie. But still, she sincerely regarded everyone as comrades.

No wonder some people joked that she could be a female version of Naruto sometimes, passionate and loyal to the point of near stupidity... or perhaps it was they who were all the stupid ones.

He smiled.

It was why people tried to help her out as well, though some more begrudgingly like C.

Sakura looked startled when Chojuro reached for her hand. She instinctively tried to pull away, but was taken further aback by the seriousness in his eyes. Where had the usual timid and shy Chojuro gone?

"Sakura-san," he began and seemed to lose his nerve a bit, his cheeks heating up to a delicate red. "I've... I've always admired you. I knew you were amazing during the war, but especially after when I got to watch you up close and spend time with you too. And so I was hoping... hoping that..."

"I'm sorry!" She rushed out. "Thank you, b-but I-!"

She flailed at her words, unaccustomed on how to handle situations like this. This was vastly different from her previous hordes of admirers who were a bit too enthusiastic about expressing their affection towards her. Sort of like Lee, but more creepier and less sincere. This was the first time someone was being so... honest and open the way he was, carefully choosing his words and actions. 

"...is it still the Uchiha?" Chojuro tentatively asked and Sakura mentally groaned at how everyone knew about that, especially after Ino's loud announcement that she was back in the market again.

"It's not that..." she resisted the urge to fidget, especially since she was all too aware that Chojuro had yet to let to of her hand. His own was a lot bigger than she expected, though it should have been given due to the heavy sword he wielded. Small, delicate hands would have difficulty using such a dangerous sword. There were thick calluses all over his palm, another giveaway of his preferred weaponry.

Chojuro seemed to have similar thoughts on her own hand since she felt him run his thumb over her knuckles and fingers. Being a medic meant she had to take very good care of her hands. It wasn't vanity alone that made her diligently apply lotion and cream to her hands every night. Her hands being scarless meant she was more likely to feel if something was off when examining a patient. But she knew it also meant people noticed more when they touched her hands because they were much softer than the usual shinobi variety. 

She wondered what the right response would be without being overly reactive and defensive. Pulling away seemed right, especially since she was rejecting his feelings. And it was wrong because the only hand she wanted to hold was Kakashi's.

The thought sobered her and Sakura gently detangled her hand from Chojuro's. "Thank you, Chojuro-san, but I only see you as a good friend. I'm... sorry. I hope this doesn't change anything between us."

She winced at how generic the words were, but she was being very honest about this. Relief filled her when she saw a small sad smile on Chojuro's face. He didn't seem angry.

"I had a feeling," he said with a sheepish chuckle, looking fairly embarrassed. "I still had to try though. But... I have to ask... you don't have to answer... but is there really no one else? I feel like I'd feel better about this if I knew it was because there was already someone else in your life."

Sakura hesitated, knowing she and Kakashi had never spoken about it outloud, but she knew it was for the best to keep everything between them under wraps. It had nothing to do with shame or the fact that she was an old student of his. There was just too much that came with such a revelation for a relationship still in its infancy...

Chojuro seemed to mistaken the look on her face, looking even more flustered. "I'm sorry! I shouldn't have said anything."

She didn't reply, staring at her now lukewarm bowl of ramen instead.

An awkward silence overcame them until Chojuro broke it, clearing his throat. 

"But Sakura-san... I hope I'm not being too forward, but if there's no one in your life right now, no one you really want..." though the embarrassment lingered, Sakura saw the seriousness in Chojuro's eyes and felt her cheeks heat up in response. "I hope you'll still consider me one day and give me a chance."

She couldn't move as Chojuro cautiously reached out, ready to move away the moment she responded negatively, and tucked a lock of her pink hair behind her ear. Her skin tingled from where his fingers brushed against the side of her face. 

"Because I'd really like to get to know you better."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This was supposed to be the last chapter of this year, but I realized what a crappy chapter this was to finish the year since this is a KakaSaku fanfic, lol. Because of that fact, there will be another update before the end of this year. Until that update, hope you guys enjoy this! A little minor drama to stir the pot, mwahaha. Believe me. This will add a nice bit of spice to the sweetness of this fluffy series, but not enough that the entire fic will be reduced to drama-filled tears. :) It might be a few chapters more until you see the yummy effects of this scene, but so far I don't think I've let that many people down with the build ups. ;)
> 
> Also, many-many-MANY great thanks to kumeramen for her wonderful, WONDERFUL fanart of Cherry Red! Seriously, it's so beautiful! I think I stared at that multiple times the day it was posted. [Here's the link!](https://kumeramen.tumblr.com/post/189664299942/this-fanfiction-got-me-hooked-and-ive-decided-to) She is also a wonderful, talented artist, so if you're interested in ShiSaku fanart, she has some very nice pieces on her tumblr~~~ :D Thank you so much, Kumeramen. It was such a pleasant surprise to wake up to.


	16. Chapter 16

"Welcome back." Kakashi greeted with a soft smile behind his desk once Shikamaru and the others had left the office after receiving Sakura's verbal report. He watched as her expression shifted from exhaustion to contentment, and then to delight when he held his arms out wordlessly to her.

Her heavy pack fell onto the ground with a loud thump as she crawled onto his lap and sighed in happily at the feel of his arms wrapped around her. She closed her eyes and mumbled tiredly. "Sorry... I smell... was trying to get home fast. Missed you..."

Kakashi ignored the way his chest tightened at her confession and merely held her closer, having missed the warmth and weight of her against him. He ran his fingers through her hair. "It's good to have you back."

"It's good to be back." She snuggled into his chest. "It was just a few weeks, but felt like forever."

He merely nodded in agreement, remembering some of his own restless nights. It wasn't as though Sakura shared his bed, nestled close to his side, every night. But knowing she wasn't even within the village had been oddly unsettling.

Which, as a good shinobi and tool, was really not good.

But right now, Kakashi couldn't bring himself to care.

Sakura was home and now everything seemed to make sense again in his world.

Green eyes, however, fluttered open until they were half-lidded. She relished his warmth and the safety he exuded, the soothing feel of his fingers running up and down her arm, but she couldn't get rid of the memory from Kiri with Chojuro.

How immature she felt due to how people were always watching out for her. How undependable she was because she was always watching and reacting, instead of being proactive and preventing. Always just following the usual protocol and standards set by others. Shizune was doing a fabulous job in Konoha and leaned on Sakura a lot to lead the lower staff, but everything was set and made for her. Even during the war, Sakura had taken charge multiple times, but under the watchful guidance of Tsunade and Shizune. There was always someone to turn to if she felt lost and in that sense, she'd felt confident enough to lead others. If she didn't know, there was that safety net of someone else taking charge for her shortcomings.

But... if that was the reason why...

Was she truly as skilled and dependable as others proclaimed?

Did she really have the leadership and strength to guide others?

Sakura closed her eyes again and inhaled deeply, relaxing at the familiar scent.

But her heart continued to pace restlessly.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy holidays everyone!
> 
> So many people were so kind enough to leave me so many reviews that I will be making another update before the end of this year. Not to mention, this chapter was so short, I can imagine it being a tad unsatisfying, especially with that ending! xD I'm sorry. There is a method to this madness. I could not make this longer, even if I wanted to, without breaking the pace and the flow of the story.
> 
> Thank you for the reviews and see you guys next week!


	17. Chapter 17

"Sakura-chaaaaaaaan!" An inelegant snort left her as Sakura found herself rudely dragged out of dreamland. She heard the pounding on her door and groaned, burying her face under her pillow as she heard the door being unlocked. Only a few knew the hand seals to unlock her apartment door.

By the time he'd barged into her room, Sakura had managed to curl herself into a tighter ball under her blankets.

"Sakura-chan!"

She gave him an incoherent, muffled response.

"Aww, c'mon, wake up! I haven't seen you for months!" The blanket was easily torn away and Sakura sighed, getting up and pulling Naruto towards her for their usual customary post-mission hug. She yawned loudly into his ear, ignoring his squawk of indignation that she should be excited like him to be reunited and not tired, and hugged him tight.

"Welcome back," she mumbled sleepily. 

"Sakura-chan," he whined. "Did you pull another all nighter at the hospital again?"

She stiffened and he noticed. There was no way he didn't when he was plastered against her the way he was right now. 

"You okay?"

Sakura nodded. "Yeah, sorry. Just made me think whether I forgot to do something yesterday."

"Oh, well then, you have no excuse! I'm finally home! Let's go to Ichiraku and catch up! I heard you tried that gross ramen from Kiri! You agree right? That thing is nasty! I also tried the-."

Too tired for his ramblings, Sakura grabbed the nearest pillow and began to smother his face with it on her bed. His protests were muffled under it and Sakura couldn't help but warmly laugh.

"Welcome home Naruto."

* * *

"And then-And then this giant ugly bug jumped out from under the ground and tried to eat me!" Naruto exclaimed, waving his chopsticks around. "Can you believe that? Kakashi-sensei, you've been to Kusagakure before, right? Have you seen anything like that before?"

"It's just Kakashi now, Naruto, and no, can't say I have." He remarked with an indulgent smile at Naruto's antics. Ever since the blonde had returned, the village seemed to have become more lively. Everyone knew whenever Naruto returned home because his voice seemed to echo throughout the village or those who'd grown fond of him would gossip about how the blonde was home now.

"Neh, neh, what about you Yamato-taichou?"

Yamato, having long since given up on getting Naruto to just call him by his name, shrugged. "I haven't either. Bugs like that don't sound native to Kusa."

"That's what I said, but the jiisan acting as our guide told me that they're a national treasure to Kusa. No way. That thing was so ugly, not to mention, reeked! I mean, I probably didn't smell better since we were camping for a while now, but my eyes water just remembering it." Naruto made a face, but still hungrily dug into his ramen.

Sakura merely smiled indulgently, though she did frown for a brief moment when Naruto ate so messily that the ramen broth splattered everywhere. Still, she ignored it in favor of being happy with his return. It really had been a while since she'd seen him.

"How was Kiri, Sakura-chan?" Yamato inquired, looking happy to change the topic from nasty, smelly bugs. It'd been a while since he'd seen her after all. "I heard you got a glowing review from Mei-sama."

Sakura's smile brightened until Chojuro's face suddenly flashed through her mind, causing her to blush. There was no way it was missed, at least not by sharp-eyed people like Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai. She quickly kicked Sai on the shin before he said anything that would draw Naruto's attention. "T-That's great! Kiri was fine! Too cold though."

Oh gods, her voice had squeaked, didn't it?

There was silence as Yamato glanced at Kakashi, expecting the silver man to be returning the look. Instead he found him to be quiet, his stare more serious and focused on Sakura. Yamato wordlessly returned his attention to Sakura, who was now diligently ignoring Sai who was calmly asking why she'd kicked him.

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Sai." She said stubbornly, eating her ramen intently. 

"Ugly and ungraceful too. It seems like Mizukage-sama's report really was exaggerated." He said with a smile, only for it to stiffen in pain when Sakura kicked his shin again. "Ugly-."

"Shut up," she said through clenched teeth.

Sai was about to speak when he was distracted by how more broth from Naruto's ramen splattered, this time hitting him on the face. "Hey, dickless-."

"Stop calling me that!" Half eaten ramen went spewing with the indignant yell.

Sakura rolled her eyes at the new confrontation and decided to just focus on keeping her mouth shut for the rest of the evening. The last thing she needed to do was remind herself of what happened at Kiri, Chojuro’s confession notwithstanding. Besides, she was more concerned ab-.

The thought trailed off when she felt a hand on her knee. She stilled, wondering if she was imagining the touch, but felt how the warm hand squeezed her knee. Sai sat next to her, but it was definitely not him as he was too busy goading Naruto.

She made a subtle glance beside her and saw Kakashi listening to Yamato, but she knew for a fact that it was his hand on her right now. Her breath hitched at how his hand lingered, drawing ticklish circles on her knee with his thumb that caused a warmth to spread from that leg up to her stomach. She could feel her cheeks starting to turn flush and made sure to take a large mouthful of ramen so that she could blame it on the heat.

And then almost choked at how the hand squeezed again. Ignoring her watering eyes, she quickly swallowed and grabbed the hand, intent on pulling it off. Instead, anticipating her action, he turned his hand and caught hers instead, gripping it firmly, showing her that he had no intention of letting go.

The sudden display of affection in public startled her, but she instinctively squeezed his hand. They hadn’t really discussed yet how they were going to tell their friends about this, though right now, she didn’t think it was any of their business.

At least, not yet.

Not until they themselves understood better what this was.

Sakura smiled when she felt his hand shift until he threaded their fingers together, especially as he pulled their joined hands until it was resting on top of his lap.

All thoughts of Chojuro and Kiri vanished as Sakura felt the familiar stroke of his thumb on her hand. If she had the freedom too, she’d have loved to lean against him as well.

Instead, she cherished the now and basked under the warmth of Kakashi’s reassuring hold.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience, everyone. I'm so lucky to have such awesome readers. Here's the last update of the year.
> 
> Happy New Year's. See you soon in 2020! ❤


	18. Chapter 18

Ino

"Shikamaru, can you tell Sakura to meet me at the flower shop tomorrow for lunch? There's a big client coming over, but they didn't give a clear time when they're coming, so I can't leave the shop."

"Tell her yourself." He replied with his eyes closed, leaning against his seat as team ten went about their nightly dinners together at the local barbeque restaurant. 

Ino scowled at him. "You're seeing her tonight, so what's wrong with passing on a message, you lazy ass!"

He opened his eyes. "Why would I be seeing her tonight?"

"Because you guys are always meeting up at the Hokage manor for work." She said, sounding exasperated. "Forehead is almost never home these days. Sometimes it's because of the hospital, but a lot of times, she's been coming from the Hokage manor, meaning you guys are swamped with work again... right?' Her words ended with a question as she saw the look on Shikamaru's face. Her eyes narrowed. "Shikamaru."

"Troublesome." He grumbled and looked away. Ino snapped the tongs at him to grab his attention, making him flinch.

Chouji, accustomed to their actions, peacefully continued his meal.

"I know that look, Nara Shikamaru. You just figured something out." She snapped the tongs in a threatening manner. "Out with it!!"

* * *

Genma + Shizune

"Aww, c'mon Shizune," Genma whined. "No more talking about work."

She tried to focus on the way he trailed kisses down her neck, she really did, but she just couldn't distract herself. "But Sakura has been acting weird since she came back from Kiri!" She ignored Genma's groan. "What happened to setting up Sakura with the jounin?"

"He suddenly got relocated to some random, isolated post near Suna." He deadpanned, really feeling for the guy. The base was one of those desolate places that people were normally sent as punishment, or they got the short end of the proverbial straw. "Poor kid. He hadn't even done anything. Must just be very unlucky."

"What? That doesn't make sense. Rotations for posts aren't for another four months." Shizune said, looking confused. She was very familiar with the schedules due to her previous stint as the Hokage's advisor. "Did something happen at the border?"

"Nope. The guy wrote a report about it since he was sending a message anyways that he arrived at the post. Same old, same old. Just lots of sand." Genma buried his face into her breasts, trying to console himself about the lack of sex tonight. He smiled when Shizune began to pet him, but internally groaned when she didn't veer off topic.

"Something's wrong. Change like that doesn't happen randomly like that. The Hokage wouldn't just force someone to a remote post like that without warning." She spoke more to herself than him. "What was written for the reason for the relocation?"

"Kakashi personally recommended him. Said the guy was good with his falcons and during times of peace is when we need to be most vigilant... so who better to send than the best-oh fuck me, I'm an idiot."

"What? What is it?" She asked excitedly. 

"No, really Shizune. Fuck me. I've been getting blue balled for too many nights now." Gemma begged. This was pure agony. "It's why my normally keen instincts are mush right now."

"I'll do that thing you like with my mouth if you focus for at least ten minutes and tell me what you just figured out." She wheedled and smiled at the goofy look on his face.

"With your fingers too?" He asked hopefully. 

"It wouldn't be the same without them." She purred. "Now out with it."

* * *

Yamato

As one of the personal Anbu guard for the Hokage, Yamato was privy to a lot of information about the Hokage’s personal life. At the same time, being the Anbu guard, it meant that his opinion and knowledge was something he was to keep to himself. It was to be as though he was nothing but a shield and sword used when needed, but remain as decorative pieces on the wall otherwise. Any information he may gleam while on duty was to be erased from his mind unless relevant to current circumstances.

Which was why when Yamato noticed how often Sakura would spend time at the Hokage manor, a lot more than she used to in the past, he’d said nothing. Neither did he say anything when he’d been given full front seat viewing of the affectionate pecks and kisses she’d give Kakashi in the Hokage’s office.

Though he had a feeling Sakura was unaware that he was part of the Anbu guard’s rotation, Yamato knew Kakashi was more than aware. Meaning he was allowing this to happen while knowing Yamato would see everything, which was very unlike the older man Yamato had served alongside for so many years. Kakashi may indulge in the occasional fling to just relieve some pent up stress, but never would he pursue or allow something to start with someone he considered close or special.

The risk just wasn’t worth the potential happiness.

But Yamato said nothing. If anything, he sometimes couldn’t help but smile himself when he saw how relaxed Kakashi looked whenever Sakura crawled onto his lap, her fingers threading through his hair, the two reveling in each other’s presence after another long strenuous day. He honestly couldn’t remember if Kakashi had ever made such a face before in the past.

And if rumors were true, it was unlikely Kakashi had made such an expression even before Yamato had met him. Especially due to the tragedies Kakashi had endured so early on in his life.

And so, Yamato said nothing, even in public while he was out in uniform. No one was truly off-duty anyways, especially those set to guard the Hokage. He gave Kakashi no knowing smile or look of regard.

Instead, life went on as usual and Yamato fervently hoped that things stayed that way.

* * *

General Public

“Hey, hey, did you hear? Sakura-san was seen leaving the Hokage manor this morning.  _ Again _ !” there was a scandalous squeal from the woman who whispered to the one next to her.

“Again? They can’t be that busy again, can they? What about Nara-san?”

“Wasn’t there again.” the woman said with a grin. “It was just Sakura-san and Hokage-sama.”

“How do you even hear about this? Sakura-san is a kunoichi. Surely she has more stealth so that someone like you wouldn’t notice her.”

The woman glowered. “I’ll have you know that I have two very keen eyes... though me dating Shu-san helps.”

There was a rolling of eyes. “Of course. Your Chuunin messenger boy was the one who saw Sakura-san leave. He probably only saw since he goes to deliver the morning messages to Hokage-sama before the day starts.”

“I-I would have noticed on my own!” the woman sputtered. “But who cares about how I know! Sakura-san and the Hokage-sama! That’s such scandalous information! She used to be his student!”

“But... for like a year, I heard. She was more Tsunade-sama’s student than Rokudaime-sama’s. And based on what we’ve seen, he’s never treated her like a child either. If anything, I think everyone is too scared of Sakura-san,” there was a shiver. “I don’t blame them. She can get very scary when they don’t listen to her advice on their health.”

“I-I guess,” the woman faltered. “She is very nice and hardworking.”

“Glad Rokudaime-sama has your approval,” came the sarcastic response.

“That’s not what I mean and you know it! Stop being mean when I’m sharing delicious gossip!”

“Not delicious when it’s malicious.”

The woman looked in horror. “It’s not malicious! It’s not like I’m part of Rokudaime-sama’s fanclub!”

“That poster you bought to put on your wall at home says otherwise.”

“I’m just being respectful towards our great leader! Of course having a poster on my bedroom wall is reasonable!”

“...oh god, you have it in your bedroom? Why? Do you stare at it lovingly before going to sleep too? Wait, ew, do you kiss the poster too?”

“Shut up! This isn’t about me! Argh! I-I was more concerned about how other people would react once this news spreads like wildfire.”

“....well... Sakura-sama and Rokudaime-sama have done a lot for Konoha. The two deserve to be happy... don’t you think?”

There was a pause and suddenly the woman seemed to glow with passion. “You’re right. Their love needs to be protected!”

“...no one said anything about them being in love with each other.”

“Thanks! I’m going to go and create the ‘protect Rokudaime-sama’s and Sakura-san’s love’ committee now!”

“...that is not what I meant!” came the exasperated cry. “Wait, come back! I said... ugh... never mind.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
> 
> My present to you all for the start of 2020. It may be late for some people, but I hope you guys enjoy!
> 
> Have a wonderful 2020 everyone.


	19. Chapter 19

Kakashi's face was impassive as he turned to look where Sakura sat across from him at the low leveled table on the floor. They were currently in the living room of the Hokage manor again, the place being much closer to his office and the hospital than her apartment. She was staring out the window at the large full moon outside and had been for a good five minutes.

"Is something wrong?" He inquired quietly and she jumped, clearly having been so deep in thought that she'd forgotten where she was.

Sakura blushed when she met his eye, but faltered when she didn't see the usual smile on his face. She reached out slowly and placed a hand on top of his, asking in a tentative whisper. "Kakashi?"

He didn't say anything immediately and it took a good few moments for him to finally move his hand, turning it around so that he could clamp hers with his. "You've had something on your mind since you came back from Kiri."

The guilt flared, but immediately, she was conscious of just how easily this could be misinterpreted. The last thing she wanted was miscommunication like this. "No! I mean, yes! I mean... I just wanted to have a more concrete idea before I said anything, because the last thing I wanted to do was hurt you by some stupid misunderstanding. But apparently I'm very good at doing that without trying."

Relief seemed to brush away some of the edge on his shoulders when her reaction was more flustered than attempting to pull away from him. Kakashu immediately pulled her onto his lap, holding her firmly against him. "Then tell me now. We can try to work it out together."

"...but that's the thing." She murmured softly, pulling away so that she had the room to peer into his eyes while placing a hand on his cheek. "I'm worried... I'm very lucky, having so many great strong and smart people watching out for me... but what does that say about me?"

"What do you mean?"

"I... don't think I'm as reliable as many people give me credit for," she said in a small whisper.

"Sakura."

"No, I mean. This isn't just some sort of insecurity thing. I know I've done a lot of great things and accomplished things many others wouldn't be able to by my age. But I'm so by the book that there's this... strange feeling of dissatisfaction." She sighed. "See, this is why I wanted to wait before saying anything. I don't even get it myself."

Kakashi absentmindedly ran his fingers up and down her arm. He ignored the weight on his chest and focused more on her, pulling her against his chest, resting his cheek on top of her head. "Go on."

"I'm really grateful for all the people around me, supporting me... but... I guess I had an epiphany of just how little I really know." She murmured. "I've been sent on short term missions, but not a lot because of how I'm considered more valuable in Konoha than out. Before and during the war, it was more understandable, but now... I... Naruto, Sasuke-kun, and you have seen so much of the world. Even Hinata-chan has been out on more missions that are long term and she's the heir to the Hyuuga Clan."

Kakashi didn't say anything, never stopped the soothing movements of his fingers.

"I'm not making sense, am I?" She concluded weakly.

"No," Kakashi said after letting the silence drag on. "I understand. You're actually not the first one to feel a restlessness like that. Many other shinobi go through it at least one point in their life."

"Even you?"

Kakashi felt his shoulder burn where the Anbu insignia would forever remain on his skin. "Especially me."

She curled up closer to him. "Tell me?"

"It's nothing interesting," Kakashi whispered into her hair. "You just have a moment when you need to leave, but you're bound by duty... and to the loyalty of people who died to make sure you lived. At least for you, it seems like a wanderlust to understand yourself more. For others, it's just another form of escape, searching for answers out there that doesn't exist since the truth had always been dangling in front of them. The reality was just too much to bear."

"And now?"

He felt her shift so that she was burying her face into the crook of his neck, the soft puff of warm air from her breath sending pleasant shivers through him. Kakashi closed his eyes, marveling at being able to have a moment like this with her. "Let's just say I'm more than comfortable in my own skin now."

He felt rather than saw her smile. "And yet you still hide behind the mask."

"Would you rather I share with the rest of the world?"

"Don't you dare!" Sakura said seriously, pulling away to show Kakashi the warning in her eyes. She then faltered, feeling uncertain as to whether she was allowed to demand something like that. Knuckles brushed against her jaw, coaxing her to look back at him and she felt her breath catch at the look on his face. "...Kakashi?"

"I don't want you to go anywhere." He spoke honestly. "If I had my way, I'd rather you stay by my side forever."

The intensity in his eyes right now was something she rarely got to see outside of battle. The few samples she had was when their kisses had grown too heated, especially the one time she'd playfully descended to his neck and bit down on the tender skin she'd wanted to do for so long. She remembered her breath feeling trapped in her lungs, the way he'd move in a speed he rarely utilized as he grabbed her wrists and easily pinned them above her head, his eyes darkened with what looked like barely restrained self-control.

It had shaken her, not out of fear that he'd hurt her. Kakashi would never, ever hurt her.

But the sheer weight of hunger he had towards her. The understanding of just how strongly he was holding back for her sake.

No one, man or woman, had ever looked at her like that before.

"Did something else happen in Kiri?" He spoke quietly in a low, tenor voice. The voice he normally reserved before unleashing a deadly raikiri on his prey. 

Sakura hated how her face immediately turned flush and was now all too aware that she was trapped within his arms and on his lap. There was no getting away from him this time. She began to fidget, her fingers clenching and gently tugging on the folds of his shirt.

"N-Nothing bad," she spoke timidly, suddenly feeling all too shy.

"Sakura." He said her name lightly, but it still sent a heated shiver down her spine.

"Um... Chojuro-san... just... may have... shown... some... interest in me?" Her voice grew embarrassingly high pitched at the end due to her nervousness, but Sakura was more mortified by how red her face was. She wanted to hide it, knowing how ridiculous she probably looked with her hair clashing horribly with her face. "I-I told him no, of course! B-But-uh, I mean..."

"But?"

"...I wasn't sure if I should mention about us or not." She confessed honestly. "I wanted to! But we never spoke about it, so I... didn't want to presume. I know you value your privacy and I respect that."

Kakashi watched with narrowed eyes at how she nervously tucked her hair behind her ears, only to see how her eyes dilated a bit more followed by a pause in the pattern of her breathing. He had enough training and had excelled while with interrogation and in anbu to know that she'd just remembered something. "Sakura."

He merely had to wait until she revealed everything. She rarely could keep something from him for long anyways.

"Oh, uh... since I didn't tell him I was with someone, C-Chojuro-san may have... may have mentioned..." her words kept faltering as she desperately tried to maintain eye contact with Kakashi, but it was difficult since she was unaccustomed to being the focus of such fierce attention. "...um... giving him a chance... next time I saw him."

"I see." He waited a bit more, enjoying how she squirmed under his gaze. And then he reached out to tuck the same pink lock of hair that she'd hastily tried to push away, making sure his touch lingered on her skin. If the movement had triggered the memory of the little shit, it probably meant he'd done something like that to her. Kakashi smiled at how Sakura stared up at him with that endearing blush. "I'm fine with you traveling, Sakura. However, as your Hokage, you are no longer allowed to set foot on Kiri. The area is far too dangerous for one of my dear shinobis and not to mention, their history of kidnapping my dear Konoha nin."

Sakura froze, wondering if she had heard him wrong. And then she gawked at him, obviously dumbfounded by the abrupt development.

"If you happen to come across Kiri nin during your travels, you are not allowed to engage in contact, no matter the circumstance. Leave the vicinity immediately. Only if you agree to these conditions will I grant you your time of leave." He said the words so formally that Sakura felt as though she was in the Hokage's office and not at his home.

"W-Wait... you... you can't be serious?" She sputtered in disbelief.

Kakashi tightened his hold around her and leaned in close, his mask already pooled around his neck, their breaths mingling together due to their close proximity. He held her gaze, amusement glowing in his dark eyes. "Try me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience. Hope you guys enjoy~! :)


	20. Chapter 20

"Stop being unreasonable!" Sakura hissed under her breath, stalking after Kakashi as he walked down the hallway outside the Hokage's office. She was trying not to draw attention, but knew it was a lost cause due to how she was basically chasing their revered leader down the halls.

"I'm not seeing the problem," Kakashi said cheerfully. "I'm allowing you to leave the village, just like you wanted."

"You also want me to report back in person every other day! I can't even make it to Suna before I have to turn around and return to Konoha!" Sakura snapped in exasperation.

"Give yourself more credit, Sakura. I'm sure if you pushed yourself and didn't sleep, you'll be able to reach the halfway point to Suna before having to turn around." Kakashi hid his laughter when Sakura grabbed his arm and pulled him into a nearby empty storage room. "My Sakura, are you trying to start something indecent with your Hokage?"

"Be serious!" she snarled and yipped when Kakashi grabbed her arm and turned them around, pushing her hard against the wall and causing some of the shelved items to shake.

"I'm very serious," Kakashi loomed over her, the usual smiling crinkles in his eyes, though there was a harsh steel in his voice she was still getting used to. "You're asking a lot from me, so I'm asking a lot from you as well."

"Kak-mmph," she felt the press of his lips and hated how her body melted. It wasn't fair how she'd react like this under him, but it would be a lie to say that she hated it.

Arms were hooked under her legs, hoisting her up against the wall while she wrapped them firmly around his waist. Sakura tangled her fingers up his hair, coaxing for more while he languidly explored the depths of her mouth with his tongue. She panted as his mouth eventually trailed downward, unzipping her top just enough to reach for her neck to splay with heated nips and bites. Since the confrontation two nights ago, she'd noticed the small changes in his behavior, how he seemed intent on leaving small marks and love bites all over her neck. It was why she had turned to clothing that covered her skin more. The last thing she needed to do was grab Ino's attention. 

She was still hesitant to do the same to him though, her breath still quickening and her heart stammering with nervousness whenever she'd remember the reaction she elicited when touching him more intimately.

Sakura tried to smother her moan, fearing others outside could hear, as she felt Kakashi ran his tongue over the new stinging mark on her neck, soothing the ache while purring at the primitive satisfaction of knowing it was there. He trailed back up and gave her a chaste kiss or two, smiling against her lips when he saw how dazed she was. She made a really pretty picture against the wall like that, face completely flushed while multiple splotches of discoloration made by him decorating her lovely skin.

Kakashi licked his lips. This would buy him probably another ten minutes before she regained her bearings and started chasing after him again.

So he dipped back down to distract her some more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Suddenly, life decided I needed a tumble, so things have been a little hectic on my end! I'd actually planned on posting the next chapter sooner. Sorry for the wait! Another something short and sweet! And for those who've been here from the very beginning, you know what that means~ xD I'll be posting another one sooner than how long this one took.
> 
> Until then!
> 
> Thank you for all the lovely reviews!


	21. Chapter 21

"Kakashi!" Sakura's angry howl echoed throughout the entire village. "Stop hiding and face me!"

"You sure this is a good idea?' Naruto asked with a wince. It was supposed to be a friendly spar, to reminisce of a simpler time when they'd been a team together. How was he supposed to know that Sakura-chan and Kakashi-sensei were going through some weird thing together?! "Normally it's better to get it over with whatever pissed her off this time."

"She'll be fine," Kakashi replied calmly from his perch on the tree branch.

"I don't know about that. I've never heard Sakura-chan that angry before." Naruto cringed when he heard something break in the midst of Sakura's pursuit. "You've basically unlocked another level of her anger. Congratulations."

"Thanks."

"What did you do to make her that angry? You never piss her off like that."

Kakashi closed his eyes, memorizing how the ground shook in terror at her rage. She was always beautiful whenever she was this angry. Though trying to get a glimpse of that wild beauty right now was liable to leave him with having every bone in his body shattered. "Life is just full of mysteries, now isn't it?"

"...Kakashi-sensei, you're so weird."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tired, sick, and lots of real life work. TT___TT Lol, hope you guys enjoyed~


	22. Chapter 22

"I'm still angry at you," Sakura glared at him, even though he was the one with the upper hand as he hovered over her on his bed, her soft supple body pinned beneath his larger frame. His eyes softened at the sight of how the faint light from the moon added an extra sheen to the glowing fire in her eyes.

"I know," he murmured, his face completely free and exposed due to how he'd removed his mask long before they'd gotten to this point.

"I'm still taking that leave. It won't be for vacation anyways. I've been speaking to friends in the other villages. Nothing formal, just the usual exchange of ideas we do sometimes, but they seem really up for the idea of an exchange. Some of our medical knowledge for something of theirs." Sakura continued. "It'll only take like a year or two. You know me. I won't delay like other people. One or two years will be more than enough."

"I know."

"So can we stop with this ridiculous dance? It's been two months. I've been patient enough, don't you think?" A smile played the corner of lips since she was well aware of how patient she'd actually been. Shizune had eventually intervened and scolded both Sakura and Kakashi, to behave like actual adults and talk it out.

The breath was knocked out of her as Kakashi collapsed on top of her.

They remained in silence. Sakura, knowing Kakashi needed time before he could speak. She ran her fingers through his hair in the way she knew he liked and tilted her head to press her cheek against him in silent comfort.

"I... can't follow you. Not this time." His words were nearly muffled by how much he'd buried himself into her neck. "I'm tethered to the village now more than ever."

"I know." She softly whispered

"I can't guide you like before. Though I'd never been the best guide anyways."

"Not true."

"I can't lead you. I can't protect you. Whatever happens out there, Sakura, I can't do anything until it's probably too late..."

She didn't say anything, knowing any words of consolation was something Kakashi already knew about. How she was strong, having surpassed Tsunade in strength a while ago. How she was skilled, able to keep up with the best on missions.

But she needed this. Needed to affirm her skills with her own eyes. To fall on her own. To rise on her own. She needed to fall hard, crash and burn, without others to assist her.

It was a lonely, terrifying journey.

But she needed this.

"I can do this."

She felt his smile. "I know."

"And when I come back, I can also confidently say you're mine for the keeping, Hatake Kakashi."

He stilled, obviously surprised by her words.

"Don't try to say that you're already mine, Kakashi." She stopped petting him in favor of simply holding him, trying to memorize the contour of his muscles and all the scars she'd traced with her fingers. "This is all on me. I want to grow, I want to be better, I want to come back with the confidence of knowing that I myself see myself as someone worthy of saying you're mine."

"Sakura..."

"I know I'm being selfish..." she paused to inhale deeply, pulling herself together. "But I need to do this for myself. To put myself first for once for something that I want."

Kakashi pulled back just enough so that he could brush his lips against her, a more tender kiss than the harsher, desperate variety he'd given her the past two months. He pressed his temple against hers and smiled softly.

"You'll do great."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Two updates! Yay~


	23. Chapter 23

“You know... that time long ago when you confronted me when I was avoiding you,” Sakura began as she nuzzled into his chest, her arm thrown around him while she sleepily spoke. The two were on his bed at the Hokage manor, cuddling for the next hour or two before needing to get up. “I was so embarrassed that you saw my face like that. I knew you’d figure out my feelings, so I was scared I’d never see you again.”

“Ah, but you’re the one who avoided me first.” he teased gently.

“Only because I knew I might never see you again if you knew the truth.” she mumbled. “I was waiting for my face to stop becoming red like that... so that things could go back to normal. But now... now I’m glad it happened and really glad you confronted me at my apartment.”

He didn’t reply this time, though he knew she was aware of how glad he’d confronted her as well. To not have run away from the possibilities this time. In the past, it had been much easier to just avoid people who might have had feelings for him, but with Sakura, it had bothered him more that he might never see her again. Whether he’d realized the reason behind it or not, he knew even then that not seeing her forever was impossible.

“I never did tell you how it started, did I?”

“Care to share?” he ran his hand through her hair, playing with the edges of the pink strand. Kakashi remembered the first time he’d seen her hair, had at first been at disbelief that a girl with such feminine coloring would want to become involved in something dangerous as being a shinobi. He didn’t think she’d last long, but how wrong he’d been.

“I’m not really sure when it began, to be honest,” she leaned into his touch, enjoying the feel of his hand on her. “I just slowly started to remember little bits here and there... from during the war and after.”

She remembered how he’d always seem to be keeping an eye on her, regardless of their different positions and placements during the war. At first, she’d been annoyed remembering those moments, even though she knew it was because he’d cared and not because he’d been belittling her skills. Besides, he should have been more worried about himself and getting out of the battles alive! Not worrying about her, who was most likely safe within the medical teams protected by multiple teams.

But now, she regarded those moments fondly... how it made her heart skip a beat to know how much he cared and worried about her, though she’d still prefer that he paid attention to himself for once.

Even when Kaguya made an appearance, Kakashi would continuously make sure she was safe. While Naruto and Sasuke-kun would instinctively make their own survival a priority, Kakashi always kept close to her, always made sure she was safe and by his side. There was nothing wrong with what Naruto and Sasuke-kun did. Trying to make sure yourself was alright first was  _ normal _ .

Sakura gave Kakashi a look, but he merely smiled at her.

But still, the fact that he took care of her first was something she couldn’t easily forget.

“And then... after the war...” she murmured. “You and I spent a lot of time together, especially after you were named Hokage.”

“Ah, well, the transition was a bit overwhelming, to be honest. You and Shikamaru helped a lot.” he said sheepishly.

“It was a good thing Shizune-san was named head medic or else it would have been impossible for me to help you.” she said with a smile. “But honestly, I think you and Shikamaru alone were doing quite good. I only gave my input here and there, especially regarding the hospital sector since Shizune-san was too busy to contribute.”

“All of which were very important.” he said firmly, which elicited laughter from her.

“See, this...” she ran her hand up her chest and touched his cheek, a gesture he was growing to love each time she did it. “This is part of what made me realize just how much I cared for you, just how deeply I cared.”

Her smile turned warmer when she felt him rest his face into her the palm of her hand.

“My memories of back then are what made me pay a bit more attention to you, because I realized I wanted to support you just as much as you were supporting and still supported me.” Sakura crawled up a bit towards him so that she was closer to his face, could see him straight into his eyes. “You always placed me as a priority... no one’s ever done that for me before.”

Kakashi arched a brow when he saw redness suddenly seeping into her cheeks. “Sakura, are you thinking of something naughty now?”

“Be serious,” she mocked slapped him on the chest. “And... And maybe?”

The confession almost knocked the wind out of him and it must’ve showed on his face since she laughed.

“I was... I knew I was basically feeling something deeper for you by a certain point, but the reason why my face turned so red all the time was when I started having dreams.”

“Dreams now, eh?”

“I said be serious!”

“What kind of dreams, Sakura?” he ignored her embarrassment by trapping her closer against him, nuzzling into the side of her head. “Were they similar to what we’ve done so far... or maybe more?”

She shivered at the sound of his voice spoken so hotly against her ear, her gaze turned away shyly. “No... I... just saw how... passionate and serious you are about taking care of the village. Just seeing you so focused on the stupid paperwork was enough to make my face equally stupidly red.”

Kakashi held back a snigger. “So paperwork turns you on? My, Sakura, that explains why you always offered to stay overnight to help.”

“That’s it! I’m done!”

“No, no, I promise I’ll stop.” he pulled her back when she tried to escape. Kakashi tried to kiss the pout away, kissing her temple and cheeks before pecking her lightly on the lips. “You were saying? Seeing my muscles ripple as I held the pen and furiously ran it all over the clear white sheets of-argh.”

She hit him harder on the stomach this time. “You jerk!”

He retaliated by running his hands up her side, causing her to laugh and inadvertently jerk around. Luckily for him, he was a skilled enough shinobi to dodge such flailing limbs while continuing the merciless assault.

“Stop!”

“Admit you can’t contain yourself when you see me doing paperwork then.”

“N-Never!” she giggled.

“Now I definitely feel more motivated about tackling that hideous stack Shikamaru left behind last night. Will you be watching me while I do it? Do you keep a set of binoculars in your office to stare at me from the hospital? I could have sworn I felt eyes on me while-oomph!”

Sakura wormed away from his evil fingers and kicked him on the chest, throwing him off the bed. Panting, she glared at him, though her blush belied her anger. “Are you done?”

He raised a hand up in surrender from the floor. “Just about.” 

She sat down cross-legged on the bed, her arms crossed over her chest. “As I was saying, you humongous dork, whenever you did the paperwork,” she glared at him, daring him to laugh and he simply raised his hands up on mock surrender, “I... you were just really focused on it, okay? A-And then one day, my stupid mind suddenly decided to imagine what it would be like to see you... you...”

“Me?” he inquired, sitting up from the floor with his head tilted in almost a canine manner with curiosity.

Sakura’s face was now completely covered in the color of cherry red that he was coming to adore since it was associated with such a reaction by her. She covered her face, hiding her face from him, much to his disappointment. Her reactions were often half the fun of things. “I... I started... dreaming... of what it would be like... i-if all that attention you had on the village was...”

The rest of the words were trailed off to an inaudible whisper.

“Yes, Sakura?” he said cheerfully.

“You’re enjoying this way too much.” she hissed.

“You’re the one who offered to tell me.” he easily retorted.

Sakura groaned, because of course she did. She inhaled deeply to calm her nerves. “I started to dream of what it would be like to have all that attention and focus on me... and me only.”

She didn’t look at him, feeling too shy and embarrassed by the confession. She turned more to the bed, toying with the edges of the sheets.

“Well, that was my selfish thought at first,” she continued. “It was something that made me see you a bit more differently than before because I’d start to imagine what it would be like to have... more of you. But now... now I want to become better, to become someone who I also think is great, to be someone I think is worthy of being by your side as well.”

“Sakura,” he began, but didn’t continue, knowing that what she was talking about wasn’t about him right now. She was being honest with him, to show what she wanted from this. Kakashi knew that he himself didn’t want her to be his strength. Something like that didn’t matter to him. Just having her by his side, being his, was enough for him. But this was important to her. And so, he simply smiled and held his arms out for her, the smile widening when she immediately scampered off the bed and held him back.

For now, this was all he could offer her.

It would have to be enough.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a small update... because I feel like we're all very tired, exhausted, and just want things to get better (me included). Hope this manages to brighten your day a bit, wherever you guys are!


	24. Chapter 24

“A delivery to the one kunoichi with the biggest, shiniest forehead in all the villages,” Ino’s sing-song voice echoed throughout the hospital floor as she slammed the door open to Sakura’s office without preamble. The rosette jumped at how the door swung open and glowered at the blonde holding the ridiculously large vase filled with flowers.

“Ino, what in the world-?”

“A secret admirer,” Ino said with a wink while placing the vase on Sakura’s desk. “Well, I added a little bit more here and there, but believe me when I said that he shelled out the big bucks for one of the better arrangements.”

Sakura remained speechless at seeing the beautiful arrangement in front of her. And then she looked at Ino suspiciously. “Wait, why are you delivering this yourself? Normally you get one of the genin to do that.”

“Well, how could I not? It’s been awhile since your fanclub was acting up.” Ino said with a huff, remembering the period of time when there was a ridiculous amount of orders for cherry blossoms. Seriously. No creativity at all. However, this one was definitely different. The purchaser had paid for one of the more expensive flower bouquets, but Ino had noted a mixture of seemingly random flowers and plants that had been requested to be added in amidst the list of flowers, meaning that the person was obviously trying to hide them amongst the main arrangement. “Besides, you can’t blame me for being curious. People rarely pays for arrangements like this. It’s usually the richer merchants visiting the village. So tell me, Sakura, what have you been up to while I wasn’t paying attention? What sort of secrets are you keeping in that big forehead of yours?”

Sakura shifted when she saw the look in Ino’s eyes. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Haruno Sakura, I have been there in all stages of your love life! Don’t think you can keep secrets from me for long!” Ino grabbed Sakura by the arm and dragged her in front of the bouquet, pointing at the hidden flowers and decorative plants amongst the more colorful array. “Enduring love. Simple love. Forget-me-nots. Don’t tell me you don’t know what these arrangements mean. You practically grew up in the flower shop with me, so tell me what’s going on right now, forehead, or else I swear-.”

The words were cut off when Ino saw the vibrant blush on Sakura’s face. It was completely different from the look of exasperation she’d get in the past when one of her more ardent fans had tried to shower her with the usual roses and cherry blossoms or the fond patience she’d show for Lee’s flowers and proposals. A small smile reached her lips as she reached to caress one of the flowers, a soft look glowing in her emerald eyes. “...the dork.”

And then Sakura paled as she remembered who was next to her.

She cautiously looked to where Ino stood and saw an indecipherable look on the blonde’s face.

“Ino?”

She seemed to snap out of it, taking a moment to look at Sakura with what looked like a mixture of concern and confusion, before it transformed into a more serious gaze. “We only want you to be happy, you know that, right?”

“O-Of course.”

“And if you ever need anything, I’m here for you, you big forehead.”

Sakura rolled her eyes. “Of course, pig.”

Ino then nodded, appearing satisfied. “Good.”

And then promptly left the room, leaving Sakura completely puzzled behind.

\---

It was late into the evening when Kakashi managed to coax Sakura out of the hospital. She’d been hesitant because things were so swamped at the hospital, but Shizune had practically kicked her out.

“Besides, this is only temporary,” Shizune had said with a reassuring smile, also giving her a secretive wink for some reason. “The extra work we’ve been putting into training the new medic-nin recruits are paying off. They should be ready to go solo in a few days. Go out and enjoy yourself now.”

It was the argument that finally convinced Sakura to hang up her coat and to meet Kakashi at the lobby. She’d been surprised to see he wasn’t surrounded by nurses like before. Having someone who was young and attractive as the Hokage, who was single at that, always drew in attention, which was why Kakashi always tended to wait outside for her. If anything, they were all watching from afar while he read his usual orange book while leaning against the wall. The moment Sakura had appeared, all eyes seemed to zoom in on her before turning back to their work.

...strange.

“Been waiting long?” she inquired, walking up to him.

“No, let’s go,” he tucked the book away before reaching for her hand. She looked at him in surprise as he guided her out, too stunned by his actions to notice the furious whispers behind them in the lobby.

They were walking in the middle of the village by the time Sakura snapped out of it. “Is everything okay?”

“The same as usual,” he hummed, squeezing her hand while giving her a smile. A part of her wanted to demand to know what was going on, but another part of her also enjoyed the night breeze brushing against her face and being able to walk with Kakashi down the streets like this. They’d done this before, but never while holding hands.

If anything, it made the night sky seemed even brighter with the glowing stars.

“Any suggestions for dinner tonight?” Sakura inquired as they passed by some nearby restaurants. She tried not to duck shyly when she saw the eyes on them and the muted whispers from some of the late patrons inside.

If Kakashi noticed, he didn’t remark on it. “I’m feeling more of a home cooked meal tonight.”

“Are you offering?” she gave him a teasing smile, knowing how lazy he could be sometimes. Mentally, she began to run over the ingredients she had in her apartment and in the Hokage manor. Knowing that the manor was closer, they were likely to go there. Maybe she could coax him into stopping by a nearby market for some items, but at the same time, she didn’t want him to let go of her hand because they went to a more public area.

“Sure,” he replied, throwing her off guard again. She was too stunned, again, to say anything but follow as he began to lead her to the direction of the very marketplace she’d been thinking about. Never once faltering in the grip he had on her hand.

Sakura stared at their joined hands before picking up the pace so that she was right beside him “Saury again?”

“Unless you prefer something else?” he inquired mildly.

She smiled and reached up with her other hand to clutch onto his arm, making sure she had his attention while she leaned against him. “I’m okay with whatever you’re comfortable with, Kakashi."

The hidden meaning wasn’t lost on him and he loosened his grip from her hand, sliding it out so that he could wrap his arm around her instead, tucking her close to his side. Sakura savored the feel of his warmth and how, for once, she felt it while also feeling the cool air of the night outside. “Good to know.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to all your lovely people who reviewed my fics! I'm sorry I haven't been able to respond to everyone just yet. It's been very busy, what with the whole quarantine and such. Please be careful everyone! Also, please stay home! >___< I think the media downplayed it too much to prevent mass hysteria and/or panic, so now people are thinking this is a harmless issue. Seriously, stay home or at least stay several feet away from others!
> 
> Thank you again for the reviews! They made me very happy and more motivated to post more chapters. I shall respond to them soon! :)
> 
> See you tomorrow!


	25. Chapter 25

It was a normal day in Konoha the day she left. Another day as usual with the bright blue skies Konoha was known for, the usual talks and laughter from both civilians and shinobi alike. Shikamaru, Izumo, and Kotetsu would all take turns dumping disgustingly large stacks of paperwork on his desk every morning.

Kakashi would fondly smile whenever he saw the documents, even though he still hated going through them all.

He’d grown used to knowing that the world moved on regardless of the tragedies and happiness that happened in one’s life.

Still, the world had felt as though it had gone still just for a moment when Sakura had accepted the mission to improve relations with the other shinobi villages within the elemental countries and to help improve the quality of their medical department. In exchange, each village would be sending someone to Konoha and teaching them a specialized skill that was normally only found within their home country. It was an exciting new prospect, a way to advance knowledge in their way of life.

The fact that such an arrangement was happening was something that would have been unfathomable a decade ago.

But of course, the new generation would always triumph the old. And Kakashi was terribly feeling his age now, even though he could be considered still fairly young even within the shinobi world. However, unlike his peers, he’d lived his entire life more as a soldier than a living person and sometimes, his body ached at the memory of all those missions he’d punished himself with.

The night before Sakura had left, he’d done nothing but hold her. He’d wanted to simply remember that moment, the warmth of her in his arms as she slept with his chest pillowing her... though he knew she wasn’t asleep either. She’d drawn circles on his torso, saying nothing while her head moved up and down with each breath he took. Before, she’d confessed that it felt comfortable listening to the beat of his heart.

Kakashi paused in the midst of signing yet another document, turning towards one of the windows to stare at the sky.

He’d never imagine what it’d be like to hear someone say that to him. At least not with that tone and sincerity. He’d been in enough undercover missions with false trysts and lovers to last a lifetime, shared enough sweet words and maybe even moments of honesty with strangers. But it truly did feel different when it was someone... someone like Sakura.

“Kakashi-sama?” Shikamaru inquired questioningly.

“Mah, I think it’s time for a break.” Kakashi got up from his seat, making a show of stretching his back. “Besides, the weather looks really nice today. I’m sure you wouldn’t be against a little cloud watching today, Shikamaru.”

He just wanted to be under the same sky she was under right now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for the well wishes!  
See you guys tomorrow!
> 
> Please be sure to wash your hands thoroughly and stay safe!


	26. Chapter 26

“How typical of Konoha to produce shinobi of such insane caliber,” came the flat remark of a Kumo shinobi who stared at the destruction in front of him. A group of bandits had attempted to take advantage of a power vacuum in a smaller village affiliate with Kumo, one created after the death of the village chief. Due to the likelihood of the villagers being injured, the rosette Konoha-nin along with the small group of trainees she’d been given, were ordered to tag along and assist.

What was unexpected, however, was when the woman took charge after the Kumo-nin dubbed as the team leader for the mission had been knocked out fairly early on by the bandits. The trainees were too young and the other members of the mission were technically outranked by her. The team had only come together to listen to her because while they weren’t close to her, they knew  _ of _ her.

And that had been enough.

“...Sakura-san is scary,” a trainee whispered to the other.

“I thought she preferred to be destructive like the slug-sannin?” another whispered in horror. “You know, super-strength and all that!”

“Well, I heard she was fairly close to one of the legendary Honoured Siblings in Suna. The old lady there was a master of poisons.” the other one said with shining eyes instead. Their new sensei was so cool! “You think she’d teach us to be like that?”

“Idiot, she’s here to teach us how to heal, not to do... do that!” the other sputtered, pointing at the unconscious bandits that littered the ground.

Not a single blood had been shed on their part to undo the bandits. Sakura-san had merely ordered that the bandits hide-out be tracked down. Once that was done, she’d observed the terrain and how their refuge was completely sealed off. However, it was known that the bandits resided in there far longer than their usual replenishment of supplies. Water had to come from somewhere... which Sakura-san found and promptly poisoned.

She’d reassured them that the process would be reversible, so there was no need to worry that the spring would be forever contaminated. But to go that far to simple flush out the bandits, to reduce the amount of potential casualties... and then to casually remark that she could fix all of it in the end.

Terrifying indeed.

\---

Shikamaru stared at the report and hid his groan, knowing that Sakura was drawing more attention this way. Everyone had known she was a superb medic and skilled with taijutsu as well, but now she was proving to be a formidable tactician too. If people caught wind that she was technically a genjutsu specialist as well...

He could only imagine how high her head would get on the bingo books.

Shikamaru glanced at Kakashi to see his reaction and saw the stillness on his face, the same thoughts probably going through his head. However, instead of letting the thoughts darken him, he saw the small smile on the older man’s face.

“Well... she seems to be having fun.”

Shikamaru groaned out loud this time. “Don’t encourage this, Kakashi-sama.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See in a few hours~!  
Mwahahaha~


	27. Chapter 27

“Welcome, Rokudaime-sama, to Kirigakure.” there was a deep bow as Kakashi and his group were greeted by escorts sent by the Mizukage. He smiled calmly at the grim looking shinobi before him, knowing that several of them he had met in combat in the past... and had fought alongside him during the war as well.

Eh, it was to be expected that past camaraderie wouldn’t usurp past casualties.

His gaze sharpened briefly.

He had never forgotten what they’d done to the people he considered precious either, anyways.

“Kakashi-sama,” Shikamaru murmured and he hummed in reply.

However, that didn’t mean he wouldn’t let things go for the sake of the future.

Besides, he knew they were more than aware of his feelings on the matter, if the several hundred Kiri-nin he’d killed over the years were anything to go by. And that was without counting those from the war when he was a child.

“Forgive the Mizukage-sama for being unable to greet you in person.”

“Ah, she must be a very busy woman, improving the conditions of Kiri and all that.” he remarked diplomatically. “After all, there’s a great many things to improve on around these parts.”

Shikamaru resisted the urge to cover his face at the subtle dig. He was aware that Kakashi had a past with Kiri, but technically, Kakashi had a past with literally all the villages. Honestly, Shikamaru had yet to figure out what made Kiri special to him, especially since his attitude was a more recent development.

There was a pause.

A recent development that happened after Sakura had gone to Kiri to help with a minor flu epidemic.

Knowing he was still around other people, Shikamaru forced himself not to make a face. He itched for a cigarette just about now. Leave it to Sakura to make things complicated even when she wasn’t here in person to do so.

Wait a minute.

Oh shit.

Sakura.

“You must be Chojuro-kun,” Shikamaru froze at Kakashi’s blase remark and slowly turned to where Kakashi’s eyes were trained on the blue haired shinobi with calm eyes. The younger shinobi also stilled, knowing he was under the gaze of someone of higher authority and was a lot stronger than him. “Thank you for taking care of Sakura while she’s in Kiri.”

“O-Of course,” Chojuro said with a blush. “She’s a good friend. I’m happy to assist her.”

“She’s here, isn’t she?” Shikamaru interjected before Kakashi could say anything else. Sometimes that man was just utterly unpredictable. “Our last correspondence with her was when she first arrived in Kirigakure.”

“Yes,” Chojuro nodded. “Shall I retrieve her for you later?”

Kakashi looked as though he was going to say something, but Shikamaru interrupted again. Thank goodness Kakashi wore that mask, so no one knew he'd butted in on him again. It wouldn’t do to give off the air that the Hokage was incompetent so the advisor kept trying to shut him up. He gave a muted stare to Kakashi, who merely gave him a calm smile. “Yes, we’ll see her at our quarters.”

“Mah, there was no need for that,” Kakashi murmured quietly as their escorts began to lead them to where they were staying. His eyes strayed towards his surroundings, taking in on how much Kiri had changed since his last stay here a little over a decade ago. It had been a minor infiltration mission, but the mood was now a lot brighter than in the past. More hopeful. “I could have easily found her on my own.”

“Yes, because we’re all aware of your history as a tracker,” Shikamaru grumbled. “But we’re guests here. Kiri’s not going to like that the Hokage is traipsing around like he owns the area. There’s protocol we have to follow.”

“Which I’m well aware of, but I’m sure no one will notice-.”

“Sakura will see you when she sees you.” Shikamaru groused. “Knowing her, she’s going to be ecstatic to hear that we’ve arrived and will come see you the moment she’s available. Now stop being so impatient.”

“Mah, I’m not-.” he stopped talking when Shikamaru gave him an apathetic look and promptly wilted. “Fine, fine.”

“Thank you.”

“Your future wife is going to be so happy about having a worry-wart for a husband.”

“With Naruto being our next Hokage, she’ll be lucky to see her husband at all.”

“Oh my, Shikamaru, have you changed your opinion on marriage?” Kakashi mocked, pretending to be shocked by the development. “Who’s the lucky woman?”

“...troublesome.”

\----

It was late into the night and Kakashi couldn’t sleep. The usual formalities had been conducted hours ago, along with the usual formal dinner. However, throughout it all, Kakashi hadn’t gotten a glimpse of Sakura at all. Mei had remarked about how passionate Sakura was, which was why she was still in surgery at the hospital due to one of the Kiri-nins having gotten a major injury through friendly fire. They were so lucky to have her since in the past, without someone so skilled at healing, a potential injury from friendly fire alone could kill one of their own. A tragedy that could now be prevented, thanks for Sakura being amongst them. Chojuro was also missing due to him making sure she didn’t pass out like last time.

Kakashi had merely smiled calmly through it all.

But now, alone within the privacy of his own quarters, he prowled the room restlessly. He knew Shikamaru was right. No matter how skilled he was, all eyes were on him. There was no way he could easily slip out and track Sakura down by himself. Not when there were so many eyes and ears on him, both from Kiri and from Konoha alike. Kakashi knew Shikamaru was keeping a close eye on him to make sure he wouldn’t do anything brash.

But how could he not?

She was so close!

Throughout the dinner, simply walking through the halls of the Mizukage’s office...

Sakura’s scent was everywhere and it smelled so much stronger, so fresh, compared to the dusty fading scent of hers back in Konoha.

He felt so pathetic sometimes when he’d sneak into her office at the hospital and just sit on her seat, soaking in her presence. His bedroom smelled more like her than her apartment, so that was out, but even on his bed, her scent was fading. The next place she spent the most time was the hospital and that had been a bit nauseating sometimes due to the strong scent of antiseptic that threatened to burn his nose off at times. But he’d been desperate for something more, something real.

Her letters, he’d clutch onto tightly sometimes, retrieving them from the mission archives. Even there, the scent was faded due to their long travels to Konoha from whichever location she was at.

And now, he had her so close, but he still didn’t have her.

This was the first time in his entire life that he’d felt so frustrated, so caged. He’d felt unbearable grief and anger when his loved ones had died in the past, but never such a restlessness that threatened to overwhelm him like this. His feet came to a standstill as he contemplated his chances of actually breaking out and finding her. He’d never said it was impossible. Just challenging.

Kakashi’s head whipped towards the direction of the balcony window the moment he felt the presence that landed there, his senses far too alert for it to escape him that someone had arrived. His sharp glare caught the startled look on Sakura’s face as she remained poised with her fist up, obviously ready to knock on the glass. It was then that Kakashi realized how frightening he must look since he hadn’t bothered to hide his aggravation over the situation, the shadows of the unlit room probably adding to the ominous effect.

For a moment, shame overwhelmed him for allowing himself to be vexed like this, but before such dark thoughts could get worse, he heard the sound of the latch on the balcony window being undone and of Sakura slipping inside. Immediately, he was inundated with her scent and it took everything within him not to crawl towards her and envelope her within his arms, to beg for her affection and attention.

The window was quietly closed behind her and to his relief, he saw the small smile on her face.

“...hey...”

“Sakura...” it felt like ages since he said her name out loud like this.

“I-I’m sorry for being late,” she murmured, turning her gaze downward at her feet. “There was an incident at the hospital, but you probably knew about that. Did something happen? I know you wouldn’t get angry just because I was late. You’re late all the time anyways. D-.”

A hand pulled her deeper into the darkness and immediately enveloped her lips with his hungry, desperate ones; his mask having been pulled down from his face while she’d done her usual nervous babbling. The tension seeped out of his shoulders as she immediately responded, rising to her toes so that she could wrap her arms around his neck. Kakashi groaned into her mouth when he felt her run her fingers through his hair in the way he liked it, the familiar touch sending his nerves on fire.

He turned her around, walking towards her, forcing her to move backwards until the back of her knees hit the bed and caused her to fall backwards. She let out a soft yelp of surprise as they landed, Kakashi’s face now buried into the crook of her neck while he inhaled deeply. Sakura remained still, her face a cherry red while she tried to absorb what was happening.

Kakashi’s fingers were entangled within her pink locks, while he nuzzled his face into her, trailing his lips up from her neck until he reached her temple. He kissed the side of her head and held her close, soaking in her presence. However, her clothes were in the way. He wanted to feel closer to her.

His fingers nimbly reached for the ties that held her thick jacket together, easily undoing it and helping her out of it. The coat was promptly thrown to the side and he took a moment to savor the look of redness on her face, knowing she’d make such an expression only around him. “Sakura.”

“Ah... um... Kakashi,” she squeaked when he resumed splaying kisses all over her face, flustering her even more. “T-This feels nice, b-but...”

She whimpered when he bit her on the neck a bit harder this time and she knew there was going to be another mark on her skin by tomorrow morning. Maybe even more, with the way he was going.

“I’m not going to do anything more that you don’t want, Sakura.” he grunted, having enough sense to know she needed reassurance. “...I’ve missed you.”

She smiled and leaned her cheek against the top of his head as she often did with him. “I missed you too...”

“Spend the night with me.” it was said as a statement, but they both knew it was a question.

Sakura couldn’t stop her smile from turning brighter. “Of course.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you guys enjoyed~!  
See you tomorrow~


	28. Chapter 28

“There are rumors going about.” Yamato calmly remarked as he and Kakashi both watched Naruto sitting on the Hokage’s chair, acting as a proxy for the day as a trial to prepare him for when he took the mantle. “Knowing you, I’m sure you’re more than aware. You had to know what it would have meant keeping her overnight.”

“Mm.”

“Shikamaru nearly had an aneurysm, I heard, but even for him, he’s just considering it from a political standpoint. We may be moving on from the past, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t some merit to the concerns.” the brown haired man tilted to where Sai sat, calmly continuing the brush strokes of his latest creation. “Sai has also mentioned about how there are some soft rumblings going around in the other countries.”

“Things are changing because of Naruto,” Sai added in. “But old habits will linger. It’ll take time for them to be fully smothered away, but until then...”

“...is she in danger?” Kakashi inquired calmly, but there was a dangerous fizzle in the air that the other two men picked up on.

“Not from the other villages, if that’s what you’re concerned about. At least on the surface. The kages are unlikely to do anything underhanded because of how valuable Sakura is to everyone. Tsunade-sama is growing older and while Shizune-san has inherited many of her skills, everyone acknowledges that Sakura is her true successor when in terms of abilities.” Yamato reported.

“Sakura is like Naruto in that she believes that we can work together,” Sai contributed, never pausing in the strokes of his brush. “She sees the good in others like he does and from what I’ve heard, the people respect her for this. However, even if the Kages and their advisors are on agreement concerning her, that doesn’t mean the villages as an entirety are on the same page.”

“She’s in no danger than any other in that sense, but Kakashi... you’ve made a lot of enemies over time.” Yamato said carefully, unable to see Kakashi’s expression since it was still turned away from him. “And Sakura’s still technically out there on her own right now.”

“Is your advice to then send someone to keep an eye on her?”

“You know Ugly will resent you for the rest of her life if you send a babysitter after her.” Sai said.

Yamato ignored Sai’s crude remark, even though it held merit. “Just... be careful next time you see her. I know you miss her, but until she’s safe or with back-up, it might be best to use a bit more... discretion.”

“...right.”

* * *

Hours later, Yamato leaped through the rooftops, having received orders from Shikamaru to find Kakashi and bring him back to the office. Naruto’s head was going to explode at the rate things were going and they needed Kakashi to come back in case he passed out and couldn’t continue working anymore.

Yamato was familiar enough with Kakashi’s habits to know of his old haunts, but Sakura was generally the expert when it came to hunting the older man down. Or perhaps it was because Kakashi didn’t mind being found by her and never truly hid himself from her.

Which was why Yamato wasn’t surprised when he found a faint trail of Kakashi’s chakra, as though it was inviting him over to follow. A part of him wondered if this was why Sakura also remarked that it was never difficult in finding Kakashi. When Yamato followed the path, he realized why the markers had looked intentional.

It led him to an off beaten path, one that seemed to have been used a very long time ago, but had been nearly overcome by the weeds and grass with time and disuse. He was led away from the village and to the more isolated district used by the older clans from long ago, particularly the ones that had died out over time such as the Senjus and...

The Hatake.

Before him were the large gates with the Hatake Clan’s symbol emblazoned proudly on them. They were just as easily as impressive as the wooden gates belonging to the compounds of the Hyuuga and the now nearly deceased Uchiha. However, what must’ve previously been imposing, towering gates were now decrepit and falling apart. It was obvious that it had been years since they were maintained.

The trail led deeper inside.

Yamato hesitated, knowing Kakashi protected his privacy vehemently, even though he behaved with a loose attitude. Very few knew what he was like beneath his many layers. But he was the one who’d left a trail behind for him to follow...

Consoling himself with this, Yamato cautiously entered the vicinity, ready to leave the moment he got the slightest hint that he’d intruded. However, there was no response, only continued stillness other than the natural sounds of grazing animals and the trickle of streams. It made him wonder just how vast the Hatake lands were. Couldn’t be greater than the Naras, who needed the space for their deer.

Half an hour later, Yamato took it back. He still didn’t see hair or hide of Kakashi.

He only heard stories of the Hatake Clan and how they used to be a group of fierce shinobis. Hatake Sakumo had been a legend himself, his stories alone lingering for generations. It was sort of frightening to imagine a large clan of them, especially one that needed as much space as this. A single shinobi from this Clan alone was enough to generate legends and whether Kakashi acknowledged it or not, many considered him a legend amongst the nations as well. Just like his ancestors.

Yamato finally found Kakashi standing in front of a large house that was obviously in disarray as the gates had been. It was likely the main house, seeing how tall and proudly it stood before them, having definitely seen better days in the past. The windows were designed to display the clan insignia and there was a powerful, lingering presence emitting from the building alone that made Yamato want to take a step back.

The weight Kakashi must have carried since birth...

“You’re late.”

Yamato gave him a look. “Senpai...”

“It’s true. I’ve been waiting hours for you.”

“Why?” he gave him a look of suspicion.

“Just some help with some spring cleaning.” Kakashi said cheerfully. “Need to get this place set up before Sakura gets here.”

Yamato faltered, obviously dumbfounded by what he was saying. “Uh... I’m sorry senpai. You’ve completely lost me.”

Kakashi merely chuckled, turning his attention to the house. There was a somber glow in his eyes, even though they crinkled with his usual smile. “I know... I’m completely lost myself, if I’m being honest.”

“Don’t you normally need to talk to the other person involved before doing something big like... uh... preparing a house like this?”

“You’re right.”

“...have you talked to Sakura about this?”

“Not even once.”

“...senpai...”

“But I know,” Kakashi spoke so softly that Yamato almost missed it, “if not her, then it’s unlikely to ever happen.”

Yamato stared at Kakashi’s back. “Senpai?”

“Be a good kouhai and help your poor senpai out,” Kakashi tossed him a broom, which Yamato instinctively caught. “There’s many rooms in this old house and we’re cleaning all of them out.”

“A-All of them? Wouldn’t it just be you two? ...wait,” the brown haired man’s eyes began to goggle at the implications and Kakashi chuckled, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

He truly had to be crazy for going at this without any concrete idea of a plan. Never had he imagined that he’d ever reach this point, acting so recklessly at this age... dreaming of a future that was actually possible and within his grasp.

Of tiny hands clutching his finger...

Late nights where he or Sakura would poke one another, saying it was their turn to get up..

Of hearing someone possibly calling him  _ father _ ...

He really had to be going crazy. He hadn’t mentioned any of this to Sakura at all.

What if she said no?

Kakashi looked up at the manor, distantly hearing Yamato grumbling as he reached over for the rest of the cleaning supplies.

The image of Sakura with her flowing pink hair cradling a child with glowing eyes that matched her own refused to leave his mind.

...but what if she said yes?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for all the reviews!
> 
> Wash your hands for twenty-seconds (please research how to wash your hands properly!) and be sure to wear a mask and/or gloves! Since protective gear should be put into reserve for medical personnel and other people working hard to maintain our everyday lives, if you can, try making your own masks! :D they can be fun projects for people while they're stuck at home in lockdown!
> 
> Stay safe out there please!


	29. Chapter 29

“The mission was a success,” Sakura announced calmly, her head held high as she made her verbal report. She knew all eyes were on her, the tension so thick that a kunai could slice through it.

Understandable since she'd arrived to Konoha dead in the night completely drenched in blood. 

The guards at front had balked and had immediately tried to take her to the hospital until she'd barked that she was fine, showing that she was indeed unwounded. She hadn't replied, however, when they asked where the blood was from. Unfortunately for her, someone had also found it prudent to inform the Hokage of her arrival and the state she was in.

She tried not to sigh wearily. She'd hope to wash up before seeing him, but things never really went her way. And now she stood before the Hokage and his advisor caked in drying blood, which literally covered her from head to toe.

"Sakura," Shikamaru said grimly. "You know that's not what we want to know about."

"I know," she wilted a little. "I just wanted to start off with that. I'm okay. It's nothing to be concerned a-."

"Sakura," Kakashi's voice broke in and everyone stopped due to the sharp edge in it. "It is the definition of concerning when one of my shinobi return covered in blood. Speaking of which, you've yet to clarify whose blood it is."

Sakura hesitated and then seemed to find her resolve, looking straight into Kakashi's smoldering eyes. "It's mine."

Shikamaru sucked in air between his teeth and Kakashi didn't move, his eyes remaining intently on her.

"Continue."

"I was ambushed on my way back to Konoha. Sent by who, I'm not sure. They were too skilled for me to incapacitate and bring in for interrogation. I managed to do some simple autopsy for basic information, but brought the body back so that it can be examined more thoroughly." She reported impassively, making sure to just stick with the facts.

"What did you manage to glean so far?"

"The person is not native to Konoha. Based on the contents of his stomach and the bacteria, I’d say more of Ame.” she stated. “Based on how he attacked me, I’m confident in saying that he was trying to assassinate me. There was no open confrontation. He came at me from above and behind. While I fought him, he didn’t say a word and his fighting style seemed to be more akin of Sound. His features seem more from Wind Country though.”

“Shikamaru, take the body to be examined.” Kakashi ordered, never taking his eyes off of her as he handed the large scroll to Shikamaru. He waited until the door was closed and it was just the two of them in the large room.

Sakura said nothing, simply holding his gaze.

“From where...” he began quietly and trailed off, unable to finish the sentence.

“I don’t understand."

“From where did he cut you?” Kakashi elaborated and saw how she involuntarily twitched, her arms instinctively about to reach upward. His eyes roved above over her, waiting with bated breath in fear that he’d see the healing wound. It didn’t escape him that the Byakugo seal on Sakura’s head was smaller, reduced due to her having to rely on it. That meant the wound had been fatal.

The assassin had attacked from behind. Had they pierced through her chest? No, her clothes were fine. If she had had time to change clothes, she wouldn’t have arrived covered in blood. It was unlikely a blow to the head or she would have fallen unconscious, which meant she wouldn’t be in front of him right now. The leather of his gloves creaked as his fists tightened even more.

The neck then.

The splatter of blood also showed that it came from there.

Kakashi rose from behind his desk and made his way towards her, his eyes trained on her neck. It was where he’d always nuzzle into, always bury his face into while he inhaled her scent and lost himself within it. A few measly hours ago, that might have never happened again. He might have never seen her again. And for how long would it have taken for them to realize she was gone? How long would they have waited until deciding that it’s been too long since she’d last contacted them?

“Stop,” her voice was sharp and crisp, holding an authority she had never shown before. At least toward him. Ironically, it reminded him a bit of Tsunade, causing him to automatically stop in memory of when she used to be his Hokage. “I’m fine, Kakashi.”

Breaking out of whatever trance he’d been, Kakashi tried to loosen the tension in his body. He failed and reached out for her instead. He brushed his knuckles against her cheek, reaffirming that she really was alive and real in front of him. His eyes closed when he felt her reach up to hold his hand with both of hers, opening his hand so that she could rest her cheek against his palm.

“I’m alive, Kakashi.” she murmured. “I’m alive and I’m completely fine.”

“You almost died,” he retorted flatly, unwilling to open his eyes to see the blood again. “You probably would have died, but only lived because-.”

“Because I’m so awesome and skilled,” she interrupted, her own voice flat, though hers held a hint of sarcasm. “Kakashi, I survived because I’m strong. No random assassin is going to take me down and you know it.”

“But-.”

“But what if something else happens? Kakashi, I just spent the past two years traveling the world alone and to the most dangerous parts there are and quite frankly, I’ve learned a lot. Do you want to know the most important thing that I realized is?” she inquired and Kakashi opened his eyes, trying to drown himself into the depths of her eyes... even though it made him cringe how there were still flecks of blood on her face. “It’s that I really am pretty kick-ass and that there are a lot of whiny babies out there in the world.”

“Sakura,” he tried to chastise, but couldn’t find the strength to do so.

“Kakashi,” she replied back easily. “I... I really did need this, because it actually showed that I really hadn’t been coddled by anyone. I guess I should have known better than to think that Tsunade-shishou would baby anyone. It was... There were times when it was hard, I admit, but it was nothing I couldn’t endure. The biggest reason, I’ve learned though... the thing that kept me going despite how frustrating things could get sometimes...”

Sakura walked closer to him, never letting go of his hand. She hadn’t grown an inch while away, but there was a difference about her that made her seem taller. Kakashi also noted how long her hair had grown. He’d noticed that it’d reached her shoulders when he’d seen her in Kiri, but now it came to her lower back, the braid that she kept it in having come undone when she was attacked by the assassin.

His heart clenched at the reminder of just how close he’d come to losing her, but was reminded of how she stood before him, glorious and magnificent.

Alive.

She stared straight into his eyes.

“...it was because I knew you were here waiting for me.” she smiled serenely, looking so content with everything at the moment. Even though she’d been fighting for her life not so long ago. “Because I knew you were here, because I had someone I wanted to see again... it kept me moving.”

“...Sakura...”

“As if some random assassin could take me out when I had something back home I had promised to make mine when I returned,” she smiled cheerfully and leaned even closer, rising onto her toes so that she could press against his forehead with her own. He felt his breath caught in his throat. “And now I truly, utterly believe I can make you mine, Hatake Kakashi.”

Kakashi closed his eyes, soaking in her presence. “...marry me, Sakura.”

There was a pause of silence.

Followed by a loud crash as Sakura pushed away from him, knocking a chair over while stumbling backwards until she fell onto the ground. Her face was red as she pointed an accusatory finger at him.

“You cheater!”

He smiled at her. “Marry me, Sakura.”

“This was my moment! My turn to sweep you off your feet! How dare you-!” she stifled her words as Kakashi approached her, kneeling down with his hand held out for her. She glowered at how he had the audacity to even lower his mask, giving her a front row seat of that glowing smile of his that always succeeded in melting her. She'd missed seeing that face so much.

“Marry me, Sakura.”

She stared at his hand and grabbed it, roughly pulling him forward. He stumbled and she practically dragged him onto her lap, pulling him in for a rough kiss. And then just as roughly, she pulled away. As usual, her face was cherry red as she glared vehemently at him. “Yes.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t you dare take it back, you insufferable man.” she grabbed him by the collar. “Yes... Yes I’ll marry you, Haruno Kakashi.”

When Sakura glared at him, daring him to challenge her, Kakashi could only beam happily at her. “Yes, dear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just one more chapter left. ❤️
> 
> Stay safe out there!


	30. Chapter 30

It took an entire year before it was announced to everyone that they were going to marry. Kakashi had wanted to elope and, honestly, so had Sakura, but she also knew that unlike Kakashi, she was terrified of her friends' reactions if she’d gotten married without telling anyone. Especially Ino and Naruto.

It also took an entire year because Kakashi refused to marry while he was Hokage, for whatever reason, and Naruto was finally being close to ready. She didn’t argue, because it did feel like it’d be too much pressure and work to be the Hokage’s wife, and she was swamped with her current duties anyways. After her travels, seeing the destruction firsthand in the countries, she’d become inspired to create a hospital specifically for children and their needs. Be it psychological or physical... she wanted to create a safe place without the pressures of family or politics. And she’d be damned if she didn’t throw her weight around to create such a place for them.

The reaction of others when she’d announced her engagement hadn’t been as expected though...

* * *

_ “I KNEW IT!” Ino shrieked loud enough that Sakura had no doubt that Mei-sama probably heard in Kiri. “You bitch! You ginormous forehead! I knew you and Rokudaime-sama were getting it on! You two were getting hot and heavy and were trying to hide it from everyone, but you two suck so much that everyone knew!” _

_ “E-Everyone knew?” Sakura said weakly. “No wait, we did not get hot and heavy! Get your mind out of the gutter, pig!” _

_ “That’s not what I heard,” Ino said with a mischievous smile. _

_ “W-What?” _

_ “Let’s just say that a certain man found it too troublesome to keep secrets... like a certain story about what happened in Kiri?” the blonde teased with a sly smile. _

_ “...SHIKAMARU!”  _

* * *

Ino’s reactions definitely had been better than Naruto’s...

* * *

_ “You... and Kakashi-sensei?” Naruto croaked. _

_ “Yes, Naruto, me and Kakashi,” her eyelid twitched as this was the fifth time she was repeating herself. _

_ “You and Kakashi-sensei?!” _

_ “Yes, Naruto!” _

_ “Ew! When did that even happen?! How did that even start?! That’s like family getting engaged to each other!” _

_ “NARUTO!” _

* * *

Sakura had tried. She really did.

Just a small tiny wedding with just friends. Nothing elaborate. Nothing too crazy.

* * *

_ Sakura flinched as the large bottle of sake was dropped in front of her. _

_ “Are you insane?” Tsunade roared, the flushed cheeks giving away of how long this conversation had been going. Not to mention, the other empty bottles that littered the table. “The Hokage is getting married! This is an auspicious occasion that we need to show off to the world! My protegee, the successor of some of the nearly lost Senju and Uzumaki arts that have been in my family, and my family only, for generations, and the Rokudaime Hokage of the strongest shinobi village amongst all the other nations, Konohagakure! Bound together! Showing our unparalleled strength to the world! Of course we can’t keep something like that to ourselves!” _

_ “H-He’s not going to be Hokage for much longer!” she protested. _

_ “Once a Hokage, always a Hokage,” Tsunade grunted, obviously having issues with that aspect as well. “So forget it. You’re not getting away with something small, Sakura. Just accept it.” _

_ “B-But-.” _

_ “Not to mention, this is Hatake Kakashi we’re talking about. Do you know how many times the old grubby elders tried to get him to marry? Or have kids at least? He’s the last of his own family as well. His lineage is impeccable. The Hatake might not have a kekkei genkai like the others, but there has never been an instance that they produced a child who didn’t end up being some sort of fucking alien genius.” Tsunade reached for a cup, ready to pour herself another round. “So get ready, Sakura. Since the chance is there, I refuse to allow that line to die out now. I’m going to see you popping little rugrats during my lifetime and yes, you heard right. This is going to be plural. Kids.” _

_ “Tsunade-shishou!” _

* * *

Sakura sighed as she leaned against Kakashi. The two sat on top of the Hokage monument. She’d wanted to sit on top of his face at first, but refrained from the suggestion when she realized just how dirty that had sounded. Instead, the two settled on top of the Yondaime, staring out at the village that was still bustling with festivities.

Her feet ached. Her head ached. Even her hair was aching. She refused to marry ever again. Tsunade had actually banded together with the elders (something that had horrified everyone, including Tsunade herself) to create an elaborate wedding certainly befitting even a daimyo. Wealth had been flashed around everywhere and all the kages had been invited to join in on the festivities.

None of them really came, of course. Having such high-ranking individuals in one location was just asking for trouble. Instead, they’d sent over gifts through representatives to show their congratulations. Sakura still remembered the batch of winter flowers found only in Kiri that the newly slated Mizukage, Chojuro, had sent her and smiled at the memory of how Kakashi had allowed her to marvel at it for a second before giving the flowers to Pakkun to bury somewhere.

And then came the greetings to everyone; chatting amiably with the daimyo himself along with all the great merchants and families involved with Konoha. As the elders had forced upon her ( _ “You are representing Konoha! By gods, child, stop emulating the Uzumaki child!” _ ), Sakura had had to display the elegance and demurity befitting of the Hokage’s wife. Thank god, Kakashi was retiring. She’d been ready to pull out her hair after going through the fifth generation of rice sellers who were insistent as all the other insistent merchants that she visit their fields to see their stock.

She’d actually needed go through another row of merchants when Kakashi had found it prudent to whisk her away.

A wise man, since he was likely to be without a wife at the end of it as Sakura was liable to run away at that point.

Yes, gods, she was never going to marry again.

Sakura tilted her head and kissed Kakashi on the cheek, the mask having been pulled down long ago when it was finally just the two of them.

It was a good thing she would never need to again.

He smiled when he felt her lips and turned so that he could give her a proper kiss instead, enjoying how she seemed to sink into his arms while he cupped her face, holding her steady as he deepened the kiss. “So how does it feel, being a Hakate?”

“I still think we should have stuck with Haruno.”

He chuckled. “Your parents don’t seem to have an issue with it.”

“Because they’re civilians who are too starstruck and confused as to what it means that their son-in-law is the Hokage.”

“Former Hokage,” he immediately interjected.

Sakura smiled, tracing his jaw with her fingers. “So what’s next then, former Hokage-sama? You’re free... well... sort of. Tsunade-shishou mentioned that once you’re Hokage, you’re Hokage until you die.”

“Ah, but I’m sure they’ll only regard me as an advisor.” he replied casually. “Naruto will do well. I’m sure they won’t need me. Well, even if they did, they’ll just have to make do on their own as I’ll be a very busy man in the next few years.”

“Why is that?” she inquired curiously. He hadn’t mentioned to her at all about what he planned to do next with his life. At least not yet.

“Kids,” he purred into her ear. “I want at least three.”

Kakashi pulled back to see her expression, briefly panicking as to whether he was rushing things. He had never before brought up the topic of children to her. Then again, he had never brought up the topic of marriage either. There was just something about the delectable rosette within his arm that dragged out the reckless, impulsive side of him. Any fears of his, however, were laid to rest when he saw the playful smile on her lips.

“Tsunade-shishou did warn me about that,” she chuckled. “Though I didn’t expect you to immediately start with three.”

“I want them with your eyes.”

“Well, I want them with your temperament.” she kissed his cheek again. “I think my temper alone would be enough for the Hatake household.”

“Mah, you say temper, I say passion.” he abruptly then pulled her to the ground, half of his body on top of hers as he pinned her there. Kakashi nuzzled his nose against hers before promptly kissing her, loving how she was with him, how it was acknowledged by the world now that she was his. Forever his. “It’s one of the things I love about you.”

“What else do you love about me?” she purred, trying to ignore how fast her heart was beating. “Because while I remember giving you a grand speech of my adoration towards you before leaving for Kiri, you hadn’t said one peep in return.”

Kakashi smiled and Sakura blushed at the warmth in his eyes. “Be patient with me, Sakura. I’ve been very busy keeping all my focus and attention on the village, but now that I’m free of it all...”

Her breath was caught when she saw the way his gaze sharpened, how he seemed to look at her and only her. Kakashi leaned towards her, brushing his lips along her jawline.

“I plan to spend all my time and energy...” heat scorched her skin as he trailed higher. “...every waking moment...” his breath brushed against her lips, branding them with his touch. “...focused on the most important person in the world for me.”

She tried to keep her voice firm, to show how she was tougher than she looked, but this dork of a man always did have a way to make her tremble. “A-And who is that?”

He smiled and kissed her hard before pulling away breathlessly.

“You.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In honor of Sakura's birthday, here is the last chapter of Cherry Red!
> 
> Happy birthday, Sakura! To the wonderful kunoichi who taught me so much growing up!
> 
> Thank you everyone for all your wonderful reviews and your patience, especially with such short chapters! They really helped in motivating me to write and complete this fic! I'm usually very terrible when it comes to completing multi-chaptered fanfics, haha.
> 
> Hope you guys enjoyed!


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